From the publisher’s rulebook
Who goes first in Tang Garden?
ThunderGryph English retail rules, ©2019

The most recent visitor to China goes first. If nobody has visited, choose randomly.
Rule details
Give the starting player the engineer token. Turns proceed clockwise.
Random selection when nobody has visited China is part of the official rule.
This criterion selects the multiplayer starter. The Yin & Yang solo variant has its own setup and turn sequence.
Source & edition
- Tang Garden: ThunderGryph Games rulesThunderGryph Games · Setup step 10; Order of Play; Yin & Yang solo variant; credits; PDF pages 1, 2, 3, 9, 10, 12 · Checked 2026-09-23Printed page references: 1, 2, 3, 9, 10, 12
Image: © ThunderGryph Games (edition publisher); Mateusz Mizak (credited illustrator) · ThunderGryph Games
If there’s a tie
The rulebook doesn’t say.
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