Chinese Leisure
The Chinese culture
embraces a number of leisure activities, including games and other
past-times. Mahjong is one of the popular games played in China.
Same pieces can also be used in played styled games such as Shanghai
Solitaire. Other well-known Chinese leisure games are Pai Gow, Pai
gow poker, Go proverb, Xiangqi and other bone domino games. The
culture of Chinese leisure also includes ethnic games such as
Chinese yo-yo.
The game of Mahjong
originates from China itself and involves four players who showcase
their skills, strategies and various calculations required to play
the game efficiently. Sometimes, even ones luck matters a lot in
this game. In many parts of Asia, Mahjong is often played for
gambling purposes. The main aim of the game is to construct complete
suits (or melds) in the form of 3s, from either 13 or 16 tiles.
Whosoever is able to construct so, wins the game.
Today, Mahjong has
become a very popular game across Asia and the West. Especially in
Japan, people emphasise on gambling and have also introduced Mahjong
arcade machines in their video arcades to connect to others via the
Internet. In Chinese leisure activities, no doubt Mahjong has carved
a niche for itself in the Chinese community that many songs also are
themed on Mahjong.
Shanghai Solitaire, a
styled game in Chinese leisure, is a game that can be played using a
set of Mahjong tiles instead of cards. Since the game was created by
Brodie Lockard during 1981 on the PLATO computer, since then it is
being named as Mahjongg as it uses the same set of tiles as used in
the original Mahjong game. Also known by the names of Shanghai
Solitaire, electronic Mahjong, computerised Mahjong, Mahjong
Solitaire and Solitaire Mahjong, the object of the game is to match
the exposed pairs of similar tiles and remove them off from the
board, to let the other tiles play under them. The game gets over
after all tiles have been removed from the board.
Another popular and
traditional Chinese leisure game of gambling is Pai gow, which is
played with a set of Chinese dominoes tiles since the Song Dynasty.
This game is basically played in unauthorised casinos in China,
while it is openly played in other major casinos across the world,
namely, Macau in China, Las Vegas in Nevada, Atlantic City in New
Jersey, various cardrooms in California, and in a few casinos in
Australia and New Zealand. When played with cards, it is known as
Pai gow poker.
Chinese yo-yo is an
ethnic game popular amongst Chinese leisure activities. It is a
Chinese toy having two equally-sized discs connected with a long
axle, and is used for juggling and Chinese ethnic dance.
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