THE PEOPLING OF NEW YORK: MHC @ Lehman

One of the things that I thought was very intriguing was the fact that people play Chinese chess on the streets.  I was extremely surprised seeing four tables of this sport and people huddling all around it and gambling, and having a good time.

In Sunset Park the population of Asian-Americans is about 8% of about the total population is 600,000 people [1].  That means appoximately 48,000 people in Sunset Park are Asian considering the above statistics.  It really is interesting how people have fun with past times.  Where I live, Soundview, A lot of people sit outside and play dominoes.  In a way its kind of the same concept.  People go out and have fun in the streets with people they know.

Chinese Chess or Xiangqi[2] is different in the way it is played.  As opposed to a 8 by 8 board, the game is played on a 9 by 10 board and is played in a landscape style.  Players are given various pieces from traditional pawns, and rooks to game specific elephants and cannons.  The point of the game is the same as regular chess, force the opponent into a checkmate.  The game is set up in a way that there are five distinct parts of the board, the red and black palaces, the red and black fields and the river.  The king is not allowed to move out of the 3 by 3 palace and some pieces can not cross the river.  Having played this game, it is extremely exciting capturing pieces and wondering new stratigies.  It feels like you are actually going to war time and you are the general.

Apparently this game has old ties back to their homeland.  As people relax by smoking and gambling, they actually promote and play a game of the past.[3] In a way it keeps them to their old society and continues on, no matter where they live.  I can only imagine how much generations the game went through.  In a way its like food and how food can retain its worth by connecting it to the homeland.  Recreational activities also tie into their original culture.

[2] http://www.chessvariants.com/xiangqi.html

[3] Chinese Chess, an introduction to China’s ancient game of Strategy  (H.T.Lau)