Wei Qi (The game of Go)

Wei Qi is an ancient game that originated in China more than 2000 years ago. 'Wei' means 'to surround.' The object of the game is to capture your opponents stones by surrounding them and occupy maximum territory. The game likely developed from Chinese warlords using stones on the ground to map out their plan of attack. It eventually evolved to be played on a 19X19 grid. It is thought to be one of the most complex board games because of it's infinite number of variations. It was a game favoured by the educated aristocracy and was considered one of the cultivated arts. Scholars also practiced calligraphy, painting, and played a zither-like instrument called the guqin. Wei Qi has lost popularity in modern China but is still widespread in Japan. The people pictured above are playing a simpler game called Wu Qi in which the object is to get 5 stones in a row. A kind of extended tic-tac-toe.