Perhaps the history of Tangram should be traced back to the ancient book Zhou Pian Shu Jing in pre-Qin China, in which there was square cutting, which proved the Pythagorean theorem. At that time, the big square was cut into four identical triangles and a small square, which was not a jigsaw puzzle. The present jigsaw puzzle has gone through a historical evolution process. It has developed from Yan-Ji diagram in Song Dynasty to Butterfly-Ji diagram in Ming Dynasty, and then into Qiqiao diagram in early Qing Dynasty. It has a history of more than 2,5 years.
in the song dynasty, there was a man named Huang Bosi, who was very familiar with geometric figures. He was hospitable and invented a "banquet table" consisting of six small tables-a small table for inviting guests to dinner. Later, someone improved it into a banquet consisting of seven tables. According to the number of people eating, the tables can be put together into different shapes, such as three people putting together a triangle, four people putting together a square, and six people putting together a hexagon ... This will make it convenient for everyone and make the atmosphere better. Later, some people reduced the banquet to only seven boards, and used it to puzzle and evolved into a toy. Because it is very clever and fun, people call it "Tangram". In the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, people in the palace often used it to celebrate festivals and entertainment, and put together various auspicious patterns and characters. The Palace Museum still preserved the jigsaw puzzle at that time! (Taobao welcomes you to buy jigsaw puzzles)
In his novel, Dutch writer Gao Luopei wrote a dumb boy spelling jigsaw puzzles to complement his gestures. It is said that French Napoleon often played jigsaw puzzles to kill time after he was exiled.
Tangram has been very popular since it spread to Europe. In 1978, JoosfElffers, a Dutchman, wrote a book about Tangram, which collected 16 kinds of graphics and was translated into many languages for publication. Today, almost no one in the world doesn't know the jigsaw puzzle and the jigsaw puzzle. It is called "Tangram" abroad, which means a jigsaw puzzle from China (not a picture invented in the Tang Dynasty).
In the 18th century, Tangram spread abroad, which immediately aroused great interest. Some foreigners played it all night and called it "Tangtu", which means "a jigsaw puzzle from China". In Europe, The New China Children's Mystery published in about 185 contains 24 jigsaw puzzles and a wooden jigsaw puzzle. Subsequently, in 181, books on Tangram were published in France, in 1818, in Germany and the United States, and the Italian book also introduced the history of China. In the preface of these books, it is said: This is a pastime game for men, women and children, dignitaries and ordinary people, all of whom are Xian Yi, and it won't make you lose money like other gambling tools.