Leisure Activities in the Zheng Empire

A life passed in endless toil is not worth living, and throughout the Zheng Empire - from the most powerful nobles to the mass of the common folk - there are many ways to pass what leisure time there is.

Games
Some common games include:


 * Weiqi - an intellectual and scholarly pursuit, where players seek to encircle territory with white or black stones.
 * Backgammon - a race game played with dice and some strategy.
 * Pitch-pot - a party game involving throwing arrows into a pot.
 * Jianzi - a game involving kicking a feathered shuttlecock and keeping it in the air

Martial Pursuits
"A gentleman does not contend; but if he has to, let it be in archery! To bow before and toast after shooting - that is contention worthy of a gentleman."

-- Confucius

As a rule, martial pursuits are the reserve of the nobility and gentry. For obvious reasons, the ruling classes of the Zheng Empire are not very interested in having a population that knows how to fight.