A Few Chinese Games to Learn Over Break (or Lockdown)
Board and tabletop games are interesting pieces of work. Some – like chess – are appreciated for the time and skill it takes to master them. Others, like Monopoly, are fun but are notorious for their ability to cause a feud or end a friendship here and there.
Games in China are a bit more extreme, requiring a whole lot of skill and patience. Heck, the game of Go is even the centerpiece of the Japanese novel Master of Go; the intrigue and scandal taking place throughout the story in step with a game between a master and a budding young player.
Here are four Chinese games to learn when you’ve got a little time on your hands – be it over the May Day holiday or lockdown, if it comes to that. They can easily be sourced on Taobao* (get it quick before the holiday starts) or can be played via mobile app.
围棋
wéiqí
Believed to have originated 2500 to 4000
years ago in China, weiqi, as it’s known in Chinese, is considered to
be the oldest continuously played board game in existence. This two
player game may seem simple on the surface, but it’s actually deceptively complex.
The rules go (no pun intended) like this: players take
turns putting white or black pieces on a square board. Each player
takes turns placing their pieces along the lines of the board, with the
objective of gaining the most spaces, or “territory” on the board. To
take things up a notch, players can take any pieces they surround in
order to stifle their opponent’s strategy.
象棋
xiàngqí
Similar in many ways to Western chess,
hence its uncharacteristic Western name, xiangqi – which more or less
translates to Elephant Chess – features circular pieces featuring
characters on each, like 兵 bīng or 卒 zú (soldier), 炮 pào (cannon), 将 jiāng or 帅 shuài (general), and of course 象 xiàng (elephant).
The pieces move across the board in ways that are similar to its Western counterpart. There are a few
key differences though. For one, each piece is worth different points
when caught, there’s a “river” flowing through the middle of the board
that some pieces – like elephants – can’t cross, or, if they can, it
grants them the ability to move in different directions – in the case of
soldiers.
The objective of the game is to reach the opposing
player’s general before they reach yours, thus putting them in a
checkmate – while also capturing as many of their pieces as you can
along the way, gaining more points for a high score.
麻将
májiàng
The clicking of these tiles, accompanied
by the chatter of mostly elderly ladies enjoying a round or two or
three of this game, are two common sounds that can be heard all across
China. This is perhaps one of the most complicated games to play on the
list. Someone tried explaining it to me once and, after 15 minutes of
explanation, I still couldn’t get it.
Although it has regional
variations, it’s a whole lot like a complex game of poker. There are 136
tiles in total, with 36 character tiles, 36 bamboo tiles, and 36 circle
tiles. The dealer – aka East Wind – deals out tiles to players, with
the objective being to get a “majiang”, in which a player gets all 14 of
their tiles into one pair – two identical tiles – and four sets –
either three identical suits, or three consecutive numbers in the same
suit.
Sound complicated? It sure as hell is, but once you get the hang of it, it’s a fun way to learn new characters and a little more Chinese culture.
牌九
páijiǔ
This final game is a lot like poker, but
played with a 36-tile set of dominoes. The goal of the game,
interestingly, is in the title: paijiu – row of nine. In order to win,
all a player has to do is get a row of four dominoes that, when added
together, equal nine or above.
Sounds simple right? Well here’s
where it gets confusing. Some of the dominoes, especially those called
Gee June (aka “wildcards”), can be paired up to equal different numbers,
whereas some other titles, like Gong and Wong tiles, equal different
amounts when paired with other numbered tiles.
For a little more in-depth look at the rules, follow the link to its wikiHow via this QR code:
Which of these games have you played before or are interested in trying out? Let us know in the comments!
*We've had issues here and there on packages coming into Beijing from other cities, so just to be safe, it's best to look for Taobao shops in Beijing.
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Games From Around the World That Can Be Played on a Go Board
Images: Mark Haupt, Elena Popova & zhang kaiyv (via Unsplash), andrewanwang (via Pixabay), bodog.com
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