Zhuangguai (Leg Bumping)

Zhuangguai is a simple childrens outdoor game from North China, particularly popu-
lar in rural areas. It is better played in winter when children are in heavier clothing that can
provide more protection. It can be played one-on-one or in competing groups. To play
one-on-one, each of two children lifts a foot up with his or her hand to form a bumper.
Hopping on the other leg, the players bump each other with their bumpers. Whoever gets
his or her bumper dislodged first loses the game.
A variant of the game is to have two players bump in a designated circle. Whoever
bumps the opponent out of the circle wins the game.

Jiguchuanhua (Drum and Flower)

This is a popular indoor and outdoor game that children play in all parts of China. It re-
quires a drum and a paper flower big enough to be passed around with ease. A portable
boombox can replace the drum. A group of at least a dozen players sits in a circle, facing the
center. A drummer or boombox operator sits near the circle. When the drum or boombox
sounds, the players start to pass the flower, either clockwise or counterclockwise (but the
direction must be consistent in each game). When the drum or music stops without warning,
the player who currently has the flower in his or her hands has to step to the center of the cir-
cle and perform a song or dance, tell a story or joke, or recite a poem. This game engenders
in the players a sense of community and is a lot of fun.

Diushoupa (Drop the Handkerchief)

Diushoupa or diushoujuan was supposedly a pioneer game of the Oregon Trail in
America (Oregon Trail 2004). As an American invented a simplified version of the Chi-
nese majiang known as Mah Jonng, so the Chinese created a more complicated version of
diushoupa as an indoor or outdoor game. To play, a dozen or so players sit in a circle, facing
the center. One player runs around outside the circle with a handkerchief, as the players in
the circle chant:
Drop, drop, and drop the handkerchief,
Drop quietly behind your friend,
And no one will tell.
Hurry, hurry, and catch him/her.
Hurry, hurry, and catch him/her.

While running around the circle, the player with the handkerchief can drop it behind
anyone without being detected. After running another round, the player will signal the un-
knowing victim by tapping lightly on his or her back. The victim will have to pick up the
handkerchief at the signal and spring up to run after the first player, before the first player

54 Part 2: Food, Games, and Crafts