“Egg throwing”, the card game that fascinates China but annoys the government

On a scorching summer evening, Chinese people indulge in “egg tossing”, a card game whose number of fans is skyrocketing, much to the dismay of the authorities who consider it a drag on productivity.

The game pits two teams of two players against each other, who must get rid of their cards as quickly as possible, using combinations called “bombs”.

This Chinese word (“dan”) has the same pronunciation as the one translated as “egg”, which is the origin of the name of the game “guandan” (or “egg throwing”), played in some regions of China since the 1960s.

But it has only become popular nationally since last year, due to the opportunities for social advancement that this pastime supposedly offers.

According to local media, more than 140 million people play it regularly, especially businessmen, civil servants and other people considered influential.

It is a “poison bomb” for their work, protests the official press, which has been multiplying attacks against the game in recent months.

“Guandan allows for social interactions,” defends Tang Songyuan, who opened a club last October in Hangzhou, a metropolis near Shanghai where the e-commerce giant Alibaba has its headquarters.

A game of “egg toss”, a popular card game in China, in Wuyi, in the Chinese province of Zhejiang © AFP – Jade GAO

“When we play, we do it while drinking tea and chatting,” emphasizes this jovial 60-year-old man, cap on his head and dressed in a white T-shirt.

“Exchanges are essential” during a game, he insists, less convinced by the versions on mobile phones where “conviviality” is precisely “lacking”.

– “Obsession” –

Its establishment, located on the 20th floor of a modern building, has about a hundred members and has several gaming rooms. Some offer a breathtaking night view of the business district.

Employees at a playing card manufacturing plant on August 14, 2024 in Wuyi, eastern China © AFP – Jade GAO

Fanned out in their hands, players are focused on their game. On the gaming tables are small white machines that deal the cards.

Guandan is “a lot of fun,” says Qiu Zining, a player who is “fascinated” by the game and has been a member of a club for just a month.

State media are generally up in arms against “egg throwing,” an “immoral” game that is “out of touch with reality” and that is said to be damaging to productivity at a time when the economic recovery is faltering.

“Some say it is a healthy and intellectual form of entertainment,” the official press quips.

Tang Songyuan (d), who opened an “egg throwing” club, a popular card game in China, on August 15, 2024 in Hangzhou © AFP – Jade GAO

And to deplore that this game is “the new obsession” of certain civil servants, “a new skill” sought by companies or “a new love”, in other words addiction, for young people.

The “egg throwing” deserves “attention and vigilance”, warns the Beijing Youth Daily.

But in his club, Tang Songyuan doesn't care.

– “A hobby” –

His establishment organizes competitions twice a week and training sessions very regularly.

Players of “egg throwing”, a popular card game in China, on August 15, 2024 in Hangzhou © AFP – Jade GAO

The attacks by the official press are reminiscent of those launched against the great renunciation of work, the concept of “tangping” (“lying on one's back”) which has appeared in recent years in China and has become a way of life for some young people.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is personally opposed to the phenomenon, has in the past called on the younger generations to “eat bitter”, in other words to endure difficulties, at a time when unemployment remains a major obstacle to success.

Guandan, “it's a very healthy game”, dismisses Qiu Zining, the player.

“It's a leisure activity between friends and we enjoy the life”.

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