Volume 1: A sound on Wall Street, Xinxiang City is busy copying books Chapter 160 Mahjong
Subtitle of this chapter: BAI BAN, representing the white future
"Ladies and gentlemen, what you are watching now is a game that contains the ancient wisdom of us Seris people..."
Our Master Yuan pointed to the "thing" on the square table that is familiar to all Chinese people and is composed of 144 parts.", he said loudly with ups and downs:
"Mahjong!"
He paused for a moment , letting the four foreign friends ponder over the word, and then continued, "As early as more than 3,000 years ago in Shanghai Dynast, the prototype of this game appeared among us Seres people!"
"At that time, our ancestors often held sacrificial ceremonies, and they would carve the sacrificial process and predicted results on cattle bones and tortoise shells, just like the bonnets you see."
"So these dominoes can also be used as a tool for predicting the future like Tarot cards..."
John McCall suddenly raised his hand and said, "Neo, I have a question."
"Excuse me."
"Neo, is it because of this Mahjong that you can predict the outcome of this election?"
Yuan Yan smiled slightly, gave him a thumbs up and said, "John, you guessed right. I did use Mahjong to calculate it beforehand to be sure that there would be a difference of more than 250 votes."
Upon hearing this, the four foreigners showed puzzled expressions, while the three Seres people whispered dully:
"Three thousand years of history... Is what President Yuan said true? How come I, Luo, don't know this after playing mahjong for so many years?"
"Yes, can Mahjong be used for fortune-telling? We haven't heard of it in Hong Kong. Xiao Yang, you and he are from the same hometown of Wudi, have you heard of it?"
"Of course. You don't know about this. We Shanghai kids know about it."
Yuan Yan glanced at the three Chinese compatriots, nodded to them seriously, and continued: "Please look, these cards with circular patterns are called 'TONG'. They represent the sun, moon and stars in the sky."
"These plates with strips are called 'SUO'. They represent the rivers and mountains on the earth."
"These two Chinese characters on these cards are called 'WAN'. This represents the common people on earth."
"Heaven, earth and man are the three talents. What we in Seris admire most is 'TIAN REN HE YI'. Because only by sorting out the three talents of heaven, earth and man can we coordinate the balanced and harmonious development of man and heaven, that is, the natural environment, as well as the balanced and harmonious development of man and man, man and society, and even the balanced and harmonious development of the human heart and body."
The four foreigners continued to be confused and amazed, while the three Seres were also "shocked" and speechless.
"Okay, next is the wind card. East, west, south and north are naturally the four winds. The red one is 'HONG ZHONG', which represents the beginning of all things. The green one is 'QING FA', which represents the birth of all things, and the white one is 'BAI BAN', which represents the end of all things."
"These seven cards actually describe the birth, change and end of the entire universe."
"Finally, there are eight flower cards, which correspond to our Seris people's 'BA GUA'. Hmm... this is very complicated and cannot be explained in a few words. I will explain it to you in detail later when I have time."
"Of course, today we are not here to tell fortunes like the ancients did. Instead, we are using these cards for entertainment..."
After listening to this mysterious introduction, the four foreigners were already captivated and immediately asked to try this "game that contains the ancient wisdom of the Seres people".
But the three Chinese people all looked like they were about to faint.
"Hey, what are you three doing standing there? Come over here, we can teach one person each."
The three of them walked over in a daze and became mahjong teachers...
But our Master Yuan still has a lot of tricks up his sleeve.
"That won't work. You should wash your hands and face first, and then meditate for a while. Only then will you have a chance to reach the state of 'TIAN REN HE YI' after you start playing cards."
"Well, that's about it, let's get started!"
"East Wind..."
"Ding ding ding, congratulations to the host for pushing history in the right direction. The S value is reduced by 5%, and a card is given for free. Please continue to work hard."
Can playing mahjong "push history in the right direction"? It really is true.
At this time, Americans in China were already fascinated by the charm of mahjong. In the foreign clubs in Shanghai, people stopped playing bridge and started playing mahjong instead.
Around 1921, mahjong tiles were brought back to San Francisco on the other side of the Pacific Ocean by these Americans, and eventually became popular throughout the United States.
WA Hammond, a lumberjack in San Francisco, would become the first merchant specializing in importing mahjong tiles from China. By the end of 1922, he alone had imported $50,000 worth of mahjong tiles.
At the same time, a massive advertising campaign emerged in the United States, accompanied by free courses and demonstrations, to promote the movement.
In the following year, that is, in 1923, the American people were full of enthusiasm for Mahjong. Some enthusiasts would turn on the radio as soon as they got home every day, and then sit next to the radio and play Mahjong.
Rich people would buy mahjong tiles worth $500 or even $1,000. Dozens of mahjong factories appeared in the United States, and the American Mahjong League was also established. This American Mahjong League (AML) is not the National Mahjong League (NML) established in 1937. Yes, there have been two national mahjong organizations in the United States.
Magazines at the time said that every proper dinner party ended like this, with everyone sitting at a table with a green woolen top and stacking little bricks made of ivory and bamboo.
Of course, with a time traveler like Master Yuan on this timeline, the mahjong craze in our great America will surely become even more violent and magnificent!
"Ding ding ding, congratulations to the host for obtaining the card 'BAI BAN of the White Future'..."
"Wait, Master Ball. Why are there Mahjong tiles?"
"Host, mahjong tiles are not tiles? Please do not discriminate against the 'game that contains the ancient wisdom of the Seres'!"
"Okay, Master Ball. But what's the use of this 'BAI BAN representing the white future'?"
"Host, using this card will allow you to never lose money playing mahjong..."
"So what are you waiting for? Use it now!"
"Okay, host. Use the card 'BAI BAN, representing the white future'. The user will never lose money playing mahjong in the future... but he won't win much either."
"Master Ball, please... help me cancel it!!!"
"Host, please read the instructions. All cards cannot be returned once used!"
