Why did westerners invent poker, but China invented mahjong?

Playing cards in the west and mahjong in China show the differences between Chinese and western cultures. We all know that most of the characters in playing cards come from some western national heroes, kings and queens. Mahjong and Peking Opera, also known as the quintessence of Chinese culture in China, have a long history and were quite mature in Guangxu period of Qing Dynasty.

Regarding the origin of mahjong, some people say that Zheng He's voyage to the West was invented on a ship. At first, it mainly appeared in the form of cards, which looked similar to western poker. Later, because the number of cards was too small, two decks of cards were played together, so the number was even more. It was only in the Qing dynasty that people painted patterns on the cards and changed them into dominoes, and mahjong in the modern sense came into being.

In the mahjong culture, there is a saying that there are 108 mahjong pieces, representing 108 heroes in the Water Margin. There is also a saying that mahjong is a grain protection card, and the playing of mahjong is also related to grain protection. In fact, mahjong was not invented by someone. It contains many traditional cultures. It has profound philosophical thought and cultural connotation. It contains the philosophical thoughts of Confucianism, Taoism and Yin and Yang. Such as the golden mean, the five elements, the thirty-six plough, and the seventy-two devils.

And there are many sayings about playing cards. One is that there are four colors, representing the main industries of society at that time. Another view comes from the tool model of divination in ancient Europe. Where 12 headboard represents someone in history. This also reflects the distinctive western history and culture. So mahjong and western playing cards are the fusion of history and culture. The differences in historical background and cultural ideas also gave birth to these two forms of entertainment. There are many ideas and cultures to be discovered.