The History of Mah Jong

Interesting Theories

• Some suggest that the Chinese philosopher Confucius invented mah jong around 550 B.C., however, there is no firm evidence that the game existed before the 19th century.

Origins

• Tile games and Chinese dominoes were played as early as 1120. There was also a Chinese card game called Madiao that had some similarities to mah jong.

Time Line

• Although it is not known for certain who developed mah jong, the game appeared in China in the late 1850s.

Spread of the Game

• Around 1900, mah jong spread to the Western world. It gained great popularity as a pastime in the United States in the 1920s.

Banned

• In 1949, the Chinese communist government banned mah jong because it was considered to be a form of gambling. Today, the game is popular again in many Asian countries.

Mah Jong Today

• Today, new generations of mah jong players are learning to play computer versions of the game.