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Evidence for Caixuan Baiguan Duo
1 pieces of evidence found.
Id DLP.Evidence.2061
Type Contemporary rule description
Location Ming China
Date 1594-01-01 - 1644-12-31
Rules Four dice. Desirable throws were not necessarily the highest scoring ones. Players use dice to move through a board with positions. The spaces with the positions describe the possible moves for each dice throw. Certain throws allow for the movement of both up and down the hierarchy. Moves are granted based on virtues, talents, and merits. Double fours grants one virtue, double sixes one talent, double fives, threes, or twos one merit. Triple fours grant two virtues, triple sixes grant two talents, triple fives, threes, or twos grant two merits. Double fours and double sixes all a player to move one talent, and then in the new position move according to one talent.
Content Description of some of the rules of Caixuan Baiguan Duo, given by Ni Yuanlu, a Ming scholar: "In the late Ming period we have a version attributed to the scholar, official, and painter Ni Yuanlu (1594-1644), based on the Ming ivil and military hierarchy, entitiled caixuan baiguan duo (an admonition to officials on good government through the dice selection game). Extant are the vert detailed rules, which deserve a full-length study, but unfortunately no representation of the board survives, so it is relatively difficult to work our how players are promoted or demoted in each section...Four dice were used instead of the earlier two, and this increased the number of combinations possible....the most desirable throws were not simply those with the highest aggregate score; instead, particular combinations yielded moral values that permitted the official (i.e., the player) to move in a certain way. For instance, a dice roll with double fours yielded one de (virtue); double sixes yielded one cai (talent); and double fives, threes, or twos yielded one gong (merit). Triple fours counted as two vitrtues, triple sixes countes as two talents, and so on. Also, in any one throw, there was a chance for more than one move up or down the hierarchy. For example, in a roll of double fours and double sixes, the player first moved according to the instruction for one virtue, and then in his new position, made a second move according to the instruction for one talent.
Confidence 100
Ages Adult
Social status Elite, Nobility
Genders Male
Source Lo, A. 2004. "Official Aspirations: Chinese Promotion Games." In C. Mackenzie and I. Finkel (eds.), Asian Games: The Art of Contest. New York: Asia Society, 65-75.
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