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National pride is a strange animal. Think of Brazil, the host nation, thrashed 1-7 by Germany at the 2014 World Cup. Brazil lost face.
In pictures: Tears and joy after Brazil lose to Germany – BBC
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HOW COULD CHINA LOSE AT MAHJONG? WHAT A LOSS OF FACE!
THE NANFANG
http://www.thenanfang.com/blog/author/natalie/
Outrage As China’s National Mahjong Team Loses To… Japan
Posted: 07/18/2014 9:11 am
The Chinese might seem nonchalant about state affairs at times, but losing a mahjong competition to another sovereign nation is unthinkable. In back valleys, tea houses, and even swimming pools,you can hear the crisp sound of the shuffling and mixing of Mahjong tiles. It is probably one of the rare moments in China when crude language and a room full of cigarette smoke are entirely appropriate.
This explains why the news of China’s national team, called State Flower, losing in the fifth European Mahjong Tournament and finishing in 37th place out of 51 teams came as a shock to the country. Online users flooded the news comment sections and Sina Weibo to express their shock and anger.
Worse, the loss came to a combined team of Europe and Japan, China’s arch rival. Some blasted the crushing loss as “the most disappointing performance in the history of all competition”. Other comments were even more poignant by comparing it to a “national shame” and said it was even more shameful than the country’s national football team.
New Beijing Daily even published an article looking at why the national team lost the game and summarized three reasons below:
Reason 1: Talent drain: grannies choose dancing over Mahjong.
To be fair, for this international game, no players from Sichuan or middle-aged retired women or government officials were on the Chinese national team. Sichuan is the mecca of Mahjong where a random vest-wearing, foot-rubbing man picked up from a street in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan, could easily win the game.
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Reason 2: No prize money means no motivation.
One thing that might have depleted Chinese players’ morale is that the Mahjong tournament has no prize money in an effort to distinguish it from gambling, which is banned in China.
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Reason 3: Mahjong is not a testing subject in the gaokao, or national college entrance examination.
CCTV sports commentator Huang Jianxiang wrote on Weibo, “Mahjong should be included in the Gaokao.” Given the fact so many students can memorize the date of birth of ancient historical figures, playing Mahjong would not be a problem at all.
http://www.thenanfang.com/blog/outrage-as-chinas-national-mahjong-team-loses-to-japan/#last-30-days
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weehingthong 