Beijing, China: A wealthy young woman in northern China paid four million yuan ($835,000) for a dog and had a fleet of cars go to the airport to pick them up, local media reported.

The woman and her new canine - a black Tibetan mastiff - flew into Xian, capital of Shaanxi province, on Wednesday from north-western Qinghai province, a report on popular news portal sohu.com said.

Waiting at the airport was a convoy of 30 black Mercedes-Benzes, led by two sports utility vehicles. Their presence caused a stir, with many people wondering whether an important official or star was in town.

Photographs posted later with the report on the website showed a committee of dog-lovers holding up a long red banner welcoming the mastiff.

Its owner, who gave her surname only as Wang, said she and a friend had spent a long time searching for an original Tibetan mastiff.

According to the Tibetan Mastiff Club of Great Britain, the breed is one of the world's oldest purebred dogs, and is thought to date back more than 3,000 years.

'Gold has a price, but this Tibetan mastiff doesn't,' Ms Wang was quoted as saying in the report.

The mastiff, named Chang Jiang No. 2, is 18 months old. Chang Jiang, which means long river, is also the name of the Yangtze River.

Seeing all the fuss, a man there to collect a friend said: 'Surely a dog cannot be more precious than a human being. Isn't all this a bit too much?'