In the evenings, friends in the Chinese city of Hangzhou meet to play “egg throwing” – a card game that is gaining more and more fans despite official warnings that it is addictive, a waste of time and causes loss of productivity.
Guandan has been played in the eastern provinces of Anhui and Jiangsu since the 1960s and has skyrocketed in popularity in recent years, making the game a national sensation.
Local media estimates that over 140 million people are excited by the combination of strategic acumen and social fun.
“When we play, we drink tea, chat and play at the same time,” said 60-year-old Tang Songyuan.
Tang was so enthusiastic about his new pastime that he opened a clubhouse in Hangzhou in October.
Its 20th-floor space offers its hundred members the opportunity to “toss eggs” to their heart’s content, with some game rooms offering views of the city’s glittering business district.
In this relatively simple game, two teams of two compete against each other, trying to get rid of their cards by throwing different combinations, called “bombs” (a homonym of “egg”), onto the table.
“It’s a very healthy game that everyone can participate in together,” said Qiu Zining, a middle-aged woman who joined Tang’s club in Hangzhou a month ago.
“It’s a lot of fun, the participation and interest are very high, so it fascinates me too.”
– ‘Poison Bomb’ –
But Guandan does not win everyone’s hearts.
This month, the state-sponsored Beijing Youth Daily warned that “addiction to ‘egg throwing’ has become a social phenomenon that deserves attention and vigilance.”
Other Beijing-backed media condemned the trend as “decadent” and “escapist” – a drain on productivity at a time when China’s faltering economic recovery needs all the help it can get.
A few years earlier, Beijing had voiced similar criticism of the phenomenon of “flat-laying,” referring to young people who were turning their backs on the rat race of city life in favor of a simpler life with fewer professional ambitions.
President Xi Jinping then urged them to “eat bitterness,” a phrase meaning to endure hardship, as youth unemployment has become one of the biggest burdens on China’s economy.
Official concerns about Guandan’s popularity also reflect the Chinese president’s long-standing efforts to end alleged waste and laziness among civil servants.
State media derided the game as a “poison bomb” that “corrupts the working style of officials.”
– “I enjoy my life” –
In Tang’s clubhouse in Hangzhou, members repeatedly “threw eggs.”
The facility hosts competitions twice a week as well as regular training camps where members have the opportunity to test their skills.
Tang showed AFP his club’s Guandan equipment, including gaming tables with special “egg-throwing” areas, automatic card dealers and plastic “pass cards” for players who wish to skip a turn.
Guandan can also be played on a phone, but Tang believes the digital versions are no substitute for the original.
“One of the most important features of Guandan is social interaction,” he said.
“If you play it on your phone, you lose it.”
Player Qiu took the criticism from the state media calmly.
“Playing (in Guandan) is a small action, right? It will not affect me at the national level,” she said.
“I enjoy my life by sharing a hobby with my friends, being together and enjoying life.”
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