Flower tiles birthday card
The inside of the card contains the following description: “The pictures are of Flower tiles taken from a Mah-Jong set made from bone and bamboo (The golden tint is just for effect). It was probably made between 1920 and 1940. In British Mah-Jong rules, Flower tiles act as bonus tiles. They give you extra points and, more importantly, can double your score if the number on the tile coincides with your Wind (1 – East, 2 – South, 3 – West, 4 – North). Modern plastic sets generally show simple designs, using the conventional Mah-Jong flowers (orchid, chrysanthemum, plum blossum and bamboo). However, older sets made in China show designs which are often not obviously related to these. It can be quite difficult to discern their meaning, though they usually follow traditional themes. But it’s with the designs of these tiles that the Chinese craftsman could best show his skills. So the tiles are often very attractive… and interesting. 1 – A Rich Man (or Zhao Gong Ming, a Daoist god of wealth) with a gold ingot in one hand and a magical iron whip in the other. 2 – The Rich Man’s pot of gold (or, more correctly, his basin filled with treasure). The three Chinese characters on the pot of gold mean ‘basin’, ‘treasure’ and ‘together’. 3 – Liu Hai, a Chinese god of prosperity and wealth. 4 – Liu Hai’s three legged toad with a string of gold coins. If the toad went to a well, Liu Hai had to make him come out with a gold coin.” [Reference: Tom Sloper’s “Mah-Jongg FAQs” website]
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