I’m honestly a little embarrassed it took me this long to get to this topic! As always, credit goes to @atla-lore-archive for saving all the neat ATLA tidbits and concept art from the old Nick website.
Pai Sho (牌數), meaning “several game pieces” in Chinese, takes inspiration from a few different table games:
Its most obvious influence is the German game Sternhalma, known in the English-speaking world as Chinese Checkers. Like Chinese Checkers, the game is played on a circular board.
The lines on the board and the circular tiles are reminiscent of Xiàngqí (象棋), known in the English-speaking world as Chinese Chess. The pieces often being positioned on the intersection of lines is also very similar to Chinese Chess.
The game’s four player limit and visually creative tiles are reminiscent of Mahjong (麻将), China’s most famous tile game. In particular, the iconic white lotus tile appears to draw heavily from the classic Mahjong one-dot tile.
Finally, the name Pai Sho is likely inspired by Pai Gow (牌九), meaning “nine game pieces” in Cantonese— which is both a domino game and a style of poker.
Just like ATLA’s animals, it seems that Pai Sho is a fusion of different real life sources. In the next posts, I’ll be covering the symbolism and cultural significance behind each Pai Sho tile shown in ATLA.
Like what I’m doing? Tips always appreciated, never expected. ^_^
