Playing Card Deck

Playing cards based on a lucky formula. Rectangular cards with rounded corners. Backs red. Faces with black and red Chinese characters at each end. They read: 福如東海壽比南山. Tacky yellow coating. Eight of each character plus eight jokers.

From Culin publication: "No. 32. - From Chungch'ing. The Wa-wa p'ai, or childrens cards. Eight cards each of the hieroglyphs, Fuk u tung hoi | shau pi nam shan, "Happiness, like the eastern sea, age more than the southern hills." The eight fuk and the eight shau are in red; the rest in black; one fuk has upon it a spray of flowers. Total, 64. Fig. 131."