Gambling, also known as gambling and gambling, has a long history in China.

It is recorded in the Analects: "It is difficult to eat all day long and have nothing to do!

In the "Historical Records", it is even referred to by name: "Bo opera, vices, and Huan Fa uses (the) wealth." "It can be said that she was the first person in Chinese history to make a fortune by gambling.

In fact, the traditional game competition of the game is used by people for leisure and recreation after tea and dinner. However, with the development and evolution of the times, society and people's living conditions, this kind of entertainment activity has gradually been involved with money, and the purpose of winning money has become a social custom.

After the Qin and Han dynasties, the Wei and Jin dynasties, the Tang and Song dynasties, gambling developed to the Ming Dynasty, and it became more and more intense, and it was all the rage, from emperors, officials, scholars, to ordinary civilians and even hooligans and beggars, gambling activities have spread all over the city and countryside, penetrating into all strata of society.

In short, gambling was a common phenomenon in Ming society, and the study of it is helpful to understand the reality of Ming society.

There were many kinds of gambling in the Ming Dynasty, ranging from static games that focused on indoor games to outdoor tours where various animal competitions were used to bet on winning and losing.

The most popular and popular profiles are as follows:

Pitching pots: In the social exchanges between scholars and scholars and Confucian scholars, throwing pots is one of the most common entertainment activities, "History of the Ming Dynasty" records Chen Xianzhang's disciple Li Chengji said that he Chenghua 22 years (1486) to the township test, "to the teacher to offer the chapter, the day of the dedication of the chapter and the climb to the landscape, the pot to write poems, the discussion of ancient and modern things, there is no word and Tao." In the minds of scholars at that time, amusement was far more important than talking about Taoism and going out of business. In the Ming Dynasty, the pot throwing activity has broken through the restrictions of etiquette, and has changed from the ancient archery to entertainment. "Shuyuan Miscellaneous" describes the situation of throwing pots: "Those who throw pots in recent times are full of obscenity and ingeniousness, and there is no ancient meaning. As usual, there are small characters, Sichuan characters, painting hexagrams, crossing the bridge, across the mountain, oblique flower arrangement, a lotus and the like, is to the pot arrow as the play set to see Zhenjiang a stinging iron pitch pot, like a candle, as a bamboo joint, under the three legs, on the two Qi, horizontally placed an iron bar, through three circles, for the mouth of the pot. All of them are targeted, and when they are touched, they rotate uncertainly. Turn the set and calm down, and throw the target into it. Xie Zhaosha, a Ming man, thinks that "the pot is the most quaint and elegant in the plays" and, "Today's pot has the most names, including spring sleep, listening to the piano, inverted, rolling, butterflies, etc., no less than 30 kinds, but the practice is very familiar, and it can be corresponding." ”

Go and Xiangqi: Playing Go and playing chess was originally an elegant and interesting move, which was quite popular among literati and doctors, and began to be popular among the people in the Ming Dynasty, becoming a means of winning money and property. Xie Zhaoshabu said: "The ancient and modern plays, the one that has been circulated for the longest time, is like Go, which is no less confusing than wine, and the name of Muye Fox is well deserved." If it is difficult, the village children and laymen will refine its subtlety, and if it is easy, there will be people who are clever and talented and who cannot refine it. Before the Ming Dynasty, Xiangqi was called "Xiang Opera", "although its opportunity changes depending on the game of Go, and the magic of attacking and defending to save the response is also ever-changing, which is indescribable." ”

Shuanglu: "Shuanglu is also known as holding the lance, this Hu opera also, the day holding the lance, the pictogram also." If you have a double land, the son will follow the dice, and if you get double six, you will be invincible. "It is like a chessboard, six ways on the left and right, rolling the dice, the horse is mallet-shaped, the white horse is from right to left, the black horse is the opposite, fifteen pieces on each side, the first to finish the winner. Shuanglu is also known as Changxing, or known as Borosai opera, which has the difference between North Shuanglu, Guangzhou Shuanglu, Nanfan, and Dongyi. "The Words of the Golden Bottle" describes Ximen Qing, Pan Jinlian and Meng Yulou as "backgammon, all of whom know ......" and are proud of it, which shows the popularity of this game at that time.