How Did Scrap Paper Become a Game of Slapping Triangles?

In some parts of China, children cut old exercise-book pages, wrapping paper or already-used sheets into strips, folded them repeatedly, and tucked the final corner into a pocket to make a flat, thick paper triangle. Names and folding methods varied by region. “Slapping triangles” was one common name, while some children made square packets instead.

The game was usually played on concrete or hard-packed earth. One child laid a triangle flat. Another struck it with their own folded piece, or slapped the ground beside it, trying to use impact and moving air to flip it over. Players first had to agree on what counted as a turn, how many attempts were allowed, and whether an edge could be pinned. In some places the winner kept the opponent’s piece; elsewhere only the result was recorded.

The game’s substance lay not in the material but in what children did to it. Paper that was too thin had little force. A packet folded too thickly could be hard to lift with a gust. Some children chose tough wrapping paper; others pressed ordinary exercise-book paper particularly flat. A casual-looking triangle therefore carried its maker’s judgement about weight, stiffness and edges.

When manufactured toys were limited, scrap paper was more than a cheap substitute. It joined making, comparison and competition in one activity. Ownership of each piece was clear, but the rules had to be sustained by the group. Memories of names, dates and winning methods differ by locality, yet games built from used paper and shared rules were once entirely workable in many schoolyards and residential courtyards.