Sanguosha's appeal has spread all the way across the Pacific Ocean, from China to Los Angeles. Provided to China Daily

Card game borrows from history to create some old school cool

When shooting angry birds and slicing fruits on your cell phone become a daily entertainment routine, a card game may sound outdated. But to millions of young Chinese, there is one exception: Killer of the Three Kingdoms (三国杀 sānguóshā).

Inspired by Bang!, a popular Italian counterpart set in the Wild West, the Chinese card game was initially launched as a somewhat shabby homemade product sold on Taobao (淘宝) in 2006.

Yet Sanguosha obviously touched a nerve, and after a little more development it was re-launched in 2008, quickly going viral among college students and young white-collar workers in Shanghai and Beijing.

The trend inspired a spate of new board game clubs, as well as a new life mantra among its fans: "If I'm not playing Sanguosha, I must be on the way to play it" (我不是在玩三国杀，就是在去玩三国杀的路上 wǒ bú shì zài wán sānguóshā, jiù shì zài qù wán sānguóshā de lù shàng).

The magic of the card game apparently lies in its historical background - a time of intense intrigue and warfare waged between some of China's most savage warlords - the Three Kingdoms period (AD 220-280). The three states in question, Wei (魏), Shu (蜀) and Wu (吴), waged a decades-long war for control of China, ultimately causing a time of unparalleled bloodshed and turmoil in Chinese history.

Strictly speaking, the period started from the establishment of the first Wei Kingdom, and ended with the conquest of the last Wu Kingdom. However, some historians include the previous 36-year period, during which the three states rose to power amid the collapse of the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220AD).

In Chinese language and culture, you can find its lasting mark, including a number of four-character idioms based on famous stories from the conflict. For instance, 三顾茅庐 (sān gù máo lú "three visits to the cottage") relates to the story of Liu Bei (刘备), the leader of the Shu Kingdom, who visits Zhuge Liang (诸葛亮) three times in a bid to recruit him as a strategist. Thus the idiom came to mean that you should call on someone repeatedly to show sincerity. Another saying is: "说曹操到，曹操就到。(shuō cáocāo dào, cáocāo jiù dào "Speaking of Cao Cao [the Wei leader], he is already here)" , which is basically equivalent to saying "speak of the devil."

The Three Kingdom period is also probably the most read-about in China and East Asia. One of the four great literary classics in China, Romance of the Three Kingdoms

(《三国演义》sān guó yǎn yì) written by Luo Guanzhong (罗贯中) in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) was based on the historical events during this time.

Completed more than 1,000 years after the events it relates, the fiction illustrates vivid characters and fascinating plots that became the primary source from which many people learned about the history of the period.

As to its authenticity, it was generally acknowledged that the author had adopted a pro-Shu stance, and consequently depicted the other two states in a negative light.

Those who are more interested in getting closer to the truth of the historical events can refer to The Record of the Three Kingdoms (《三国志》sān guó zhì), which was written by Chen Shou (陈寿) right after the fall of the Wu Kingdom.

Combining the influential historical events of the Three Kingdoms period with intriguing fictional elements from the literary classic, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Sanguosha seduced legions of bespectacled Chinese youth, who could be seen throwing down cards on restaurant tables across the country, accompanied by shouts of "Sha!"

(杀 "attack") and "Shan!" (闪 "dodge").

Beside the background, the intricately designed game system is also appealing to young people looking for a brain teaser. The game features 40 characters, each with special skills that conform to his or her role in the classic novel.

For instance, as founder of the Wei Kingdom, Cao Cao (曹操) is ruthless, intelligent and a master of subterfuge, renowned for being able to bounce back from the brink of disaster and force enemy generals to surrender their service to him.

As such, one of Cao Cao's skills in the game is the ability to absorb and assume control of a variety of his opponents' tool cards.

In addition to the character cards they hold, each player has a secret identity (ruler, loyalist, rebel or defector), which the other players must attempt to guess based on their opponents' moves and strategy.

The intricacies behind Sanguosha have helped its popularity extend across the Pacific Ocean to cities like Los Angeles, where a recent four-day tournament attracted hundreds of Chinese students.

Moreover, three ardent fans have launched a summer course based on the game at the University of California, Berkeley. Besides learning the related history and reading the classic novel, students must actually play the game in order to pass the course.

"Students will use knowledge from the book and historical events to examine the character card abilities of significant figures, such as Liu Bei, in relation to their historical roles," reads the course syllabus.

With 129 cards in the basic version, Sanguosha incorporates people, idioms and historical events. It may take some explanation and several practice rounds to work out what's going on, but half the fun comes from learning from different people and swapping stories of intrigue and betrayal related to the Three Kingdoms Period.

Courtesy of The World of Chinese, www.theworldofchinese.com

The World of Chinese 

(China Daily 11/16/2012 page19)