NO. 2 FOLK RELIGION IN SOUTHWEST CHINA — GRAHAM 29 



AMUSEMENTS 



The Chinese are very human and, like human beings throughout the 

 world, desire and enjoy play, amusement, and recreation. This desire 

 finds satisfaction in many ways. 



Chinese children have many games. One is blind man's buff, re- 

 sembling in some ways the same game as played by Western people. 

 Another is "snake protecting her eggs." One player supports himself 

 on his hands and his toes. Under him are placed several stones, sup- 

 posed to be snakes' eggs. The other players try to steal the eggs, and 

 the one protecting the eggs tries to kick the legs of the players w'ho 

 are trying to steal the eggs. 



Another game formerly played is pitching coins against a wall. 

 Each player pitches his coin against the wall, making it bounce back 

 as far as possible. The one whose coin goes the farthest picks it up 

 and tries to hit the nearest coin with it. If he succeeds, both coins 

 are his. If he does not, the person whose coin is next farthest picks it 

 up and tries to hit the coin nearest to his. If he fails, the third one 

 takes his turn, and so on. 



One game enjoyed by both boys and girls and sometimes by grown 

 people, is a variation of our battledore and is called by some 

 Westerners in China "kicking the shuttlecock." A brass or a copper 

 coin is wrapped in fish skin, and to this is attached several chicken 

 feathers. When the shuttlecock is kicked up in the air, the coin will 

 come down first. The game is generally for one person to kick the 

 shuttlecock as many times as possible without letting it fall to the 

 ground. 



Two games enjoyed by people of all ages are cards and mah jong. 

 Many become very skillful at these games, which are generally asso- 

 ciated with gambling. 



Holidays are often spent as days of recreation and amusement. 

 This is especially true of the first five days of the new year. Boys go 

 about blowing horns and gangs of boys walk through the streets 

 beating drums and blowing bugles. Groups of men and women stand 

 in the streets or sit in their homes playing cards, mah jong, and other 

 chance games, almost all of which are accompanied by gambling. 



The great festivals celebrating the birthdays of the gods are oc- 

 casions for meeting friends, drinking tea or wine, talking, and some- 

 times dining together. There is amusement also in watching the great 

 parades, which are parts of these festivals. Generally these are fol- 

 lowed by theatricals in the temples, and by a feast to which loyal sup- 

 porters of the temple and its worship are invited. The boat races at the 



