| The picture shows a set of shuanglu chess in the Qing dynasty (1644 - 1911). This set of shuanglu originally came with a chessboard, chess pieces and a book of instruction. The pieces are made of wood and shaped like a horse's head, which is why they are also called ma (horse). There are 34 pieces in all, 17 black and 17 white. The chessboard is hand painted, with a three-storied gate tower and bulwarks on each side. Where the pieces are to be placed are marked by yinyang signs on both sides of the gate tower. These signs are indicated numerically as liang (beam), from numbers one to seven. The book of instructions has three chapters, described as "strategies", "playing the game" and "winning and losing" respectively. The exhibit will be on display along with other 114 relics, which date back to Neolithic Age (c.7000 - c.21st c. BC) onwards up to Qing dynasty (1644 - 1911), at the "Enlightening Trivialities -- Ancient Chinese Pastimes" exhibition to be opened tomorrow (March 22) at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum until June 26. |
