Flower tiles card

The inside of the card contains the following description: “The pictures are of Flower tiles taken from a Mah-Jong set made from bone and bamboo (dovetailed together) and measuring just 1.8cm x 2.5cm (0.7” x 1”). It was probably made in China between 1920 and 1940. In the British Mah-Jong rules Flower tiles act as bonus tiles. If you are lucky enough to get one they give you extra points and, more importantly, can double your score if the number on the tile coincides with your Wind.: 1 – East, 2 – South, 3 – West, 4 – North. Modern plastic sets generally show simple designs, using the conventional flowers. However, older sets made in China show designs which are often not obviously related to these. It can be quite difficult to discern their meaning, though they usually follow traditional themes. But it’s with the designs of these tiles that the Chinese craftsman could best show his skills. So the tiles are often very attractive … and interesting. 1 – A Rich Man (or Zhao Gong Ming, a Daoist god of wealth) with a gold ingot in one hand and a magical iron whip in the other. He's sitting in an ornate chair 2 – The Rich Man’s pot of gold (or, more correctly, his basin filled with treasure). The three Chinese characters on the pot of gold mean ‘basin’, ‘treasure’ and ‘together’. 3 – The Goddess of Mercy, Guan Yin (Kwan Yin). She's depicted with a water jar in the right hand, a willow branch in the left, and wearing a Buddha crown. 4 – The Monkey King wearing golden chain mail and a phoenix feather cap. He walks on clouds. In the book "Journey to the West," Guan Yin enlisted the Monkey King as a bodyguard for the monk Tripitaka.” [Reference: Tom Sloper’s “Mah-Jongg FAQs” website]