In Tibet, stone throwing, like the horse-riding and archery, is a time-honored traditional entertainment event. The playing rules for stone-throwing have two branches: one is for the distance of the throw; another is for the accuracy of the shot. The first is simpler, just to see who can throw the farthest. During the game, all players, tall or short, young or old, stand in a row and compete.
The second is a bit more complex, as the players will throw the stone as close to the target as possible, while not striking down the target. In Xigaze (Shigatse) Prefecture, the second is more prevalent. The players are divided in two opposing teams with an equal number of people, each having its own target, called Ali by the local people, erected. Each player chooses three pieces of smooth-surfaced and flat stones, among which , the largest one, called the tail stone, shall be thrown last; and the other two are named the 'Head stone'and middle stone respectively, according to the sequence of throwing.
Each side tries its best to throw the stones as close as to the opponent's target, and drive the opponent's stones off its target with the tail stone. When all the players have exhausted their three stones, then the referees measure the accuracy, and decide the winner accordingly. On many occasions, the winning is decided by three to five games, or even more, instead of just one. Sometimes it may be also done by scoring. For example, by setting a five-score-criteria, the side which accumulates a score of five first, will be the winner.
The game also can be played by competing on accuracy, that is, the score will be counted by the times of hitting the target. The details of the rules vary from place to place, concerning the differences of the targets or the rules. For example, in Nagri Prefecture, an event similar to the stone array is very popular. The players are in two opposing teams, each having a stone symbolizing a general and another four stones representing four soldiers. They are set up in a place 10 meters away from the player's standing places, with the general standing in front and the soldiers behind. In order to be distinguished from the soldiers, a small stone is placed on the top of the general, symbolizing the general's hat.
The players will try to strike down the opponent's army with stones. They must strike down the last row of the soldiers first, then the second row, and the general last. If a player unintentionally strikes down the wrong one, then he will be penalized. If the wrong one is the general, then he will lose the game. If the successfully strikes down all the targets in right sequence, he will be given a special reward. That is, to place a piece of pebble on his instep and kick it toward the opponent's general, then stand on the place where the pebble lands, and hit the general's hat with a stone in his hand. If he shoots down the hat, while leaving the general's body untouched, he will be rewarded by pushing down one of the opponent's soldiers. The side, which shoots down the entire opponent's army at first, will be the winner. The winning side of the game thus counts the score in terms of the number of remaining figures of their side. The match is usually in five rounds; the side that has the most accumulated scores will be the winner.
