进忠棋牌= Jinzhong Chess cards

进忠棋牌，2688 56+4副

Yet another set of cards based on Chinese chess pieces. Similar cards are called Si Se Pai -- Four Colour cards; and have been featured several times before (Eg This, This, and This ). However, the deck featured here has but two suits, red and black.

The red suit. In the middle of each card are found depictions of two Chinese lanterns. On them are written the words 棋牌 QiPai = Chess Cards. 

The black suit. Like actual chinese chess sets, the characters for the equivalent ranks are written slightly differntly between the suits. 

This deck is unusual, as the black suit has an extra card, (shown on the far right of the image) which is the "Brave" 勇. 

The Box 

Four colour cards/四色牌 2:

"2001 龙凤四色牌”  112c +7
This particular deck of playing cards is yet another variation of the 四色牌, playing cards, or as some English authors call them "chess cards" . The Chinese name reflects the suit system of the cards. Four colours, Red, Yellow, Green and White. The English name reflects the ranks in each of the suits, which correspond to the pieces in the Chinese version of Chess.

  Although purchased in Singapore, this particular pattern is not common there. In all my years of collecting, I have only seen this pattern twice. On both occasions I bough the decks in question.
For a Comparison with a more typical pattern, please see http://www.wopc.co.uk/singapore/double-elephant  and http://anthonylesq.blogspot.sg/2013/03/four-colour-cards-hokkien.html

The red and yellow suits. The ranks are, From Right to Left: General 帥,Guard 仕, Minister相,  Chariot俥, Horse 傌, Cannon 炮, and Infantryman. 兵

Despite being printed in the PRC, these cards are written in Traditional Chinese characters. Also note the company name (龙凤, "Dragon and Phoenix"）written in the space between the cards. 

The Suits of Green and White. Like real Chinese chess sets, ( see here and Here ) The pieces for opposing sides are written using different characters. The ranks are, Again, General 將,Guard士, Elephant 象 (The Chinese words for "Elephant"and "Minister" are homophones, hence the substitution ) , Chariot 車, Horse馬, Cannon 包.(Amusingly, this character on its own means "Bun").and soldier. 卒

The "Title cards" (A, B) and the five "Jokers (C-G). The text on card A gives the name of the company, and an auspicious greeting. Card B is a Quality control certificate. (合格证). It also gives the " complaints hotline". The card informs us that the company is located in Fuzhou. 

. The jokers ( C, D, E, F, G)  are slightly more cryptic. They apparently refer to ranks of the Chinese Nobility. EDIT: The jokers depict the five ranks of  ancient Chinese nobility mentioned in the Book of rites.  In descending  order of rank, they are 公 (G)、侯(F)、伯(E)、子(D)、男(C).

 In any case, the games that are played with the deck do not appear to use them. 

The box. You can see it is fairly battered. 

Chinese chess/xiangqi set ("Butterfly brand")

" 中國象棋 " ( Chinese chess set) , 32 pieces, butterfly brand.

This set is a typical example of the Chinese chess, or xiangqi set. Despite chess and xiangqi having evolved from the same ancestor, or so we are told, the sets are very different

the pieces are as follows. :.
Red pieces                兵      ,   炮      ,    車     ,      馬     ,  相       ,士    , 帥
black pieces              卒      ,   炮      ,   車      ,      馬    ,   象      , 士    , 將
Equivellant in chess  pawn  , ( none) ,   Rook , Knight,  Bishop, ( none), King

Note the fact that equivilant ranks are written differently for the opposing sides

Some pieces, like the 炮 ( cannon) and 士( valet) have no equivalent on chess. The cannon is a most  perculiar piece. It can only make a capture, when there is a piece in between it and the target . The cannon has to "jump" over a piece , so to speak. The Valets are another curious piece. They perform a function somewhat similar to the bishops in chess, moving diagonally within the confines of the "square" in the back of the board.
As can be clearly seen from the above diagram, the pieces are made of roundels of wood, on which are engraved the characters. The characters are then coloured in with paint. The colours used are, in this case, red & black, although I have seen green replace black in some sets.

 

the pieces laid out on the board

 

Chess sets such as this one come in plastic cases, which are in the form of a rectangle with 2 semicircles attached to the short edges. They are almost invariably supplied with a chessboard, printed on a thin plastic, much like the sort plastic bags are made of. In some of the older sets, we find that they are made of paper.

 



Four colour cards- Hokkien

四色牌/ (Four colour cards), Anon - 112 c.

 Four colour cards, or Si sek pai as they are known in hokkien, are a form of playing card used in china and a great part of S/E asia. These cards are used to play a game much like rummy.

As the name of the deck implies, there are four suits, which are represented by the background colours of the cards. Each of the suits consists of seven subjects, taken from the ranks of a chinese chess ( Xiangqi) set.  The characters are written slightly differently for each side, and this difference is reflected in some decks, like this one. They are:

將 仕  相 車 馬 炮  卒 for Black,&

 帥 士  象 車 馬 炮 兵 for red. ~~

( General, valet, minister/ elephant , chariot, horse, and soldier)

Thus making a unit of 28 cards. Four units are united together to form a full deck of 112 cards.

  Now, the deck we have here is a smoewhat remarkable preservation- Such cards have been extinct in singapore for the past 30 or so years. This example is very old stock, which was somehow preserved in a chinese art supplier's back room,  from the properiteror's previous busisness as a game mearchant.

the red & yellow suits, and the back

As you can see, the cards are much shorter than the ones usually seen today. ( see ---) .
Also note the characters. Like the chess sets, they are written differently for each of the suits.
My grandaunt informs me that the sets are more or less identical to the cards of her youth, the only difference being that these cards are slightly shorter.

The green & white suits. The white suit appears pink due to the dye from the backs rubbing off on the paper

Another feature you may have spotted is the chinese charaters in the center of the card. I have yet to decipher their meaning, but they may be the company's name