Abstract

Chinese Mahjong and western Poker are both popular games which play an important role in people’s daily lifies. They are important ways people kill time and obtain entertainment. However, the two games were created and constantly develop  with the eastern and western cultural backgrounds respectively. Therefore, it is certain that much difference between the two games does exist. This paper introduces the difference between Mahjong and Poker from three aspects the extent of cooperation among players, number of participants and the choice of location, and criterion of winning. A careful analysis is then made to explore the cultural factors that lead to so much difference with the hope of bringing implications for the rational and healthy development of the Chinese Mahjong.

Key words: China and the West, Mahjong and Poker, differences, cultural factor

摘 要

中国麻将和西方扑克是非常受欢迎的两种游戏活动，在人们的日常生活中扮演着重要的角色，是人们打发时间和休闲娱乐的重要方式。但是，二者是在东西方不同的文化土壤之中产生，并在各自不同的文化背景之下不断地发展， 因而两种游戏活动之间必然存在着诸多差异。 本文主要通过阐述麻将和扑克在参与者之间合作程度，参与者数量与游戏进行地点选择，以及判定输赢的方式等三个方面的巨大差异，着重分析了导致这些差异产生的背后的文化因素，以期对中国麻将今后的健康发展带来一定的启示。

关键词： 中西方；麻将与扑克；差异；文化因素

1.    Introduction
Chinese Mahjong and Western Poker are two different games, and they’re so widely played in China and Western countries, appreciated by various kinds of people like the youth and the old, office workers and housewives, etc. In every city and town of China, you can find many special rooms and chambers provided for Mahjong playing. In western countries, it is also quite common that many people play Poker games in the open air like parks, river banks, etc. Besides, there is a world famous city, the most populous one in Nevada, United States, which is internationally-renowned for gambling.
With so many people playing Mahjong and Poker, there’s no doubt that they play an important part in people’s daily life. They are a kind of amusement and help people relax and enjoy after one day’s heavy work. Also, Mahjong and Poker provide opportunities for people to communicate better with others. For example, it might be much easier for businessmen to establish a better atmosphere for commerce and trade or the relationship among relatives and friends may be closer when the two games are played. As entirely different kinds of games, Mahjong and Poker were respectively initiated and developed in different parts of the world. Deeply rooted in the eastern and western cultures, Mahjong and Poker have demonstrated to us much difference in the constituents and rules of the games. There is no denying that the difference owes much to the cultural differences between China and the western world, which can be reflected in turn in the two popular games.