China is home to some of the oldest and most widely played known games in recorded history. Below you will find three of the most famous of those games, a brief description of their rules, and the ways in which Chinese culture can be seen in them.

Xiangqi

(Xiangqi game)

(http://www.xqinenglish.com/)

This game is commonly known as Chinese chess, or the elephant game, and appears to be the inspiration behind at least two other famous games: international chess and shogi. The object of Xiangqi is to capture the other players General, much like a king in international chess. The game is similar in play to other forms of chess and involves the use of different pieces that each have their own method of movement across the board, but differs in the way those pieces move as well as the fact that play is done on the lines of the board, not inside the squares. The game also has an area of the board that affect pieces differently. This game shows the value of strategy in Chinese culture and doesn’t involve luck, rewarding players that can think ahead and outwit their opponent.

History

There are two different theories on the history of the game. The first theory goes that the original form of this game emerged in China at around 200 BC. The game was created in an attempt to anticipate a battle between two rival forces, Hán Xin and Xiang Qi. The game would eventually fall out of favor before finding a revival, and redesign, during the Tang Dynasty. The other theory states that the game is an offshoot of another famous game, Chaturanga, and made its way into China before the Southern Song Dynasty

Weiqi

(Weiqi Game Board) (https://shop.gogameguru.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/d/e/deluxe-go-set-t.jpg)

This game, better known as Go, Baduk, or the surrounding game, is a game widely played across the world and requires the use of a gridded 19×19 board. The point of the game is to capture territory which involves player placing down their pieces, known as stones, on the intersecting lines of the board. Extra points can be earned by killing your opponent’s stones via surrounding them but, unlike chess or Xiangqi, killing an opponent’s piece is not the goal of the game. The game ends when both player decide that there is no more territory left to fight over. This game also puts a value on strategy but, more than that, is concerned with the idea of balance in play. The game stresses that only those who can strike a balance between actual territory and influence over the board can hope to win at the game. It also stresses that one must learn to live with their opponent and that total defeat of a foe is not an option. The game also holds the honor of being the oldest game still played using its traditional rule set.

History: The history of Weiqi is said to find it’s origin with the great Emperor Yao. It is said that Yao created the game as a way of instilling good values on his eldest son, an attempt that would ultimately fail. The game is known to have been created before the time of Confucius, who showed some disdain for the game, and at the time was known as one of the four things a man had to master if they truly wished to become a gentleman. Despite originating in China Weiqi became more famous in Japan and from their has spread its way throughout the world.

Mahjong

(Game of Mahjong)

(http://blog.chinatraveldepot.com/tag/mahjong/)

This game is played with four players and involves the use of different valued tiles. Players roll dice to determine the order of play and than attempt to get the highest point total by drawing and discarding tiles from their hand and placing matching combinations on the table in front of them. The game ends when all tiles are drawn or if a player manages to draw five sets of three tiles and an additional one pair, or four sets of three, one four-of-a-kind, and an additional one pair.

History

The game of Mahjong was invented relativity recently in comparison to the rest of the games discussed on this page. Evidence suggests that the game was created in Kiangsu, Anhwei and Chekiang as these locations contain the earliest mentions of the game. Theories attribute the game to many different creators from Hung Hsiu-Ch’uan, to a pair of brothers in Ningpo, to a nameless citizen of Ningpo. We do know that the game was created sometime before the 1900’s but only really began to see play outside of its original areas after 1905. The game would spend the next fifteen years evolving as it made its way through China, before eventually becoming the modern Chinese version. Mahjong is both a game of luck and strategy and is a popular gambling game that shows the importance of both luck and skill for successful play.