Mahjong: to protect or to crack down? (3)

Ardent advocacy

Xing Xiaoquan, an official at the Chinese Leisure Sports Administrative Center, General Administration of Sports of China, is in favor of reforming mahjong. In fact, he has been pushing for it since 1996.

Xing said mahjong and gambling are two different things, just like football and soccer gambling. "Any activity that results in a winner and a loser can be used in gambling, including Obama's campaign," he said.

Xing explained that mahjong has long been associated with gambling because people have been doing it for centuries, and because the game has stakes itself, it's easy to apply the gambling impulse.

However, to prevent mahjong gambling is not easy. Xing told of a legend that in ancient times, an emperor once ordered that anyone playing mahjong would have his hands cut off. Even so, mahjong has survived even until today.

Therefore, the right guidance is necessary, according to Xing, who categorized the game into three types: competition, leisure (played for entertainment only) and gambling mahjong.

"Upgrading the game into a competition is the best way to lead mahjong to a healthy development," Xing commented. He and his group looked at examples of other sports and encouraged competitive mahjong, while guiding leisure mahjong on the right path away from gambling.

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