Chinese playing cards date from at least 1294, when Yen Sengzhu and Zheng Pig-Dog were apparantly caught gambling in Enzhou (in modern Shandong Province). The law case notes that nine paper cards and thirty six taels of zhong tong period (1260-1264) paper currency were seized, along with wood blocks for printing cards. Unfortunately, we do not know anything more about the total number of cards in the pack or the markings, etc. Our next source is from the writings of the Ming dynasty scholar Lu Rong (1436-1494), who notes that he was sneered at for not knowing how to play cards when he was a government student at Kunshan in modern Jiangsu Province.

China is the country in the world where playing cards were first created, probably hundreds of years before they reached Europe.

Its traditional cards are so unlike Western ones. Ancient Chinese "money cards" have four "suits": coins (or cash), strings of coins, etc.

Chinese playing cards date from at least 1294, when Yen Sengzhu and Zheng Pig-Dog were apparantly caught gambling in Enzhou (in modern Shandong Province).

Chinese Chucker and Ping Pong are well known but palying cards are not popular at all!