You can see this kind of card from time to time in Hong Kong movies. In fact, in the mainland, many people’s grandparents used to play this kind of card. Although they don’t know what they are playing, it has become a childhood memory for many people.
This is called Tianjiu Pai. Legend has it that this tile evolved from the domino Xuanhe Pai produced during the reign of Emperor Huizong of Song Dynasty. Playing Tianjiu, like mahjong, is the quintessence of China. It is a game that emphasizes thinking, memory, luck and mentality game. In the streets and alleys of Hong Kong, you can still see these traditional Chinese dominoes, from Pai Gow to Mahjong, witnessing a period of Hong Kong's history.
On the streets of Temple Street in Yau Ma Tei, I looked up and saw a big signboard "Chicken Mahjong", and the historical node started here. Lin Kun, the founder of this store, came to Hong Kong when he was 13 years old. His first job was as a small laborer in the chicken coop in Yau Ma Tei. The monthly labor cost was only 1.5 cents. He bought dying chickens at a low price and boiled them into brine. The chicken was sold on the street and was very popular, and the neighbors also called him "Aji".
In 1932, he opened a "Chicken Store" in Temple Street. Store is the Chinese and Cantonese translation of Store. There are many, there are many scholars in Chen Ji, and there are many scholars in Xu Ji.
Jijishiduo still sold fruit and sugar water at that time, but the business was mediocre. Where there are Chinese, there must be mahjong, so he provided free mahjong to the neighbors to play, so as to attract people. prototype.
Due to the profitability, mahjong parlors sprung up on the streets of Hong Kong for a while. In 1955, the Hong Kong British government prepared to legislate to completely ban gambling. Therefore, these mahjong parlors established the "Hong Kong-Kowloon Mahjong Chamber of Commerce", and Lin Kun became the chairman. , Fight for living space from the British Hong Kong government.
But it is very difficult to explain mahjong to foreigners. Lin Kun tried his best. He said that Chinese people play mahjong just like you play poker. If you want to ban mahjong, you must treat everyone equally and ban poker. You can play quietly at home, but mahjong is not enough. Both are indispensable, and the sound is still very noisy. Their mahjong parlor can complement each other.
From what is mahjong to how to play mahjong, it is the same as the British playing bridge, and how to supervise it. After four months of lobbying, foreigners understand that Chinese people really can't do without mahjong! Therefore, in 1956, the Hong Kong British government legalized mahjong. A set of mahjong had 144 tiles, and 144 licenses were issued. At that time, it was still very elegant and called mahjong school, so in Hong Kong, playing mahjong was also called "paying tuition".
In this way, Chicken Kee in Yau Ma Tei became the first licensed mahjong restaurant in Hong Kong.
In Hong Kong, there are two places to play mahjong outside, both of which need to apply for a license, one is the mahjong club, and the other is the mahjong house. The biggest difference is that the mahjong club is a club license, and no commission is allowed, while the mahjong house is fine.
There is a pot hanging on the table in the mahjong house, which is commonly known as a pumping bag. Water is wealth, and pumping water is commission. According to the law, each mahjong shop can pump 0.5% of the water. The best mahjong shop can make millions of dollars in profits a day from pumping water, and this pumping bag is a tool used to help customers exchange big bills and change.
The license name of the mahjong parlor is "Mahjong/Tin Kau License", and there are specified hours (12:00 noon to 12:00 pm) to operate mahjong parlors. So far, there are nearly 60 mahjong parlors in Hong Kong, all of which are concentrated in Mong Kok, Yau Ma Tei, Wan Chai, North Point, Tsuen Wan.
Each table has a fixed minimum betting limit, so everyone can play mahjong together even if they don’t know each other. It is also very simple to ask them to go out, just say "someone is looking for you outside".
In order to keep guests, there are special errands in the museum, such as helping customers buy cigarettes, pay utility bills, and even help grandma to buy food, buy meals, and even take care of children. There is a mahjong hall with a down-to-earth color of life. It is also a kind of traditional cultural characteristics of Hong Kong.