Mahjong History

• Mah-Jongg in China

One of the myths regarding the origin of Mah-Jongg suggests that Confucius, the great Chinese philosopher, had developed the game about 500 BC. According to this myth, the appearance of the game in various Chinese provinces coincides with Confucius' travels at the time he was teaching his new doctrines. There is, however, no supporting evidence for this assertion. The three dragon (Cardinal) tiles also agree with the three Cardinal virtues bequeathed by Confucius. Zhong ( , lit. middle) the Red, Fa ( , lit. prosperity) the Green, Bai ( , lit. white) the White represent Benevolence, Sincerity, and Filial piety respectively, again under this myth. In fact, the "middle" is likely a reference to 中华 (zhōnghuá) -- China's name in Chinese.

Also, this myth claims that Confucius was fond of birds, which would explain the name "Mah-Jongg" (sparrow). Yet Confucius was northern Chinese and "Mah-Jongg" comes from westernised pronunciation of a southern dialect's name for the game. So this link, too, is unlikely. Further there is little to no evidence of Mah-Jongg's existence prior to the Taiping era which eliminates Confucious as a likely inventor.

Terms used in the play of the game Pong, Chee and Kong also purport to give evidence to this theory. Confucius was of the Kong family, his full name being Kong-Qiu; he married a girl named Che and adopted the term Chee, meaning 'to connect', which Westerners mistranslated into Chow. The "Kong" is actually pronounced gàng in Chinese and means "bridge" or "pole" and has nothing to do with Confucius' name. The "Pong" is actually pèng and means "join" or "meet". The "Chee" is actually chī and means "to eat". None of the three terms is in any way related to Confucius.

Another theory implies the game was developed from existing Chinese card and domino games sometime around 1850. Some historians believe it was based on a Chinese card game called Mádìao (馬吊) (also known as Ma Tiae, lit. Hanging Horse; or Yèzí (葉子), lit. Leaf) in the early Ming dynasty. This game was played with 40 paper cards similar in appearance to the cards used in the game Ya Pei. These forty cards, numbered 1 to 9 in four different suits along with four extra flower cards, are quite alike to the numbering of Mah-Jongg tiles today. There is still a healthy debate about to whom the creation of the game should be attributed. One theory is that Chinese army officers serving during the Tai Ping Rebellion created the game to pass the time. Another theory is that a noble living in the Shanghai area created the game between 1870 and 1875. It is thought that around 1850 in the city of Ningpo two brothers had created Mah-Jongg from the earlier game of Mádìao.

This traditional Chinese game was banned in its homeland in 1949, when the People's Republic of China was founded. The new Communist government forbade any gambling activities, which were regarded as symbols of capitalist corruption. After the Cultural Revolution, the game was revived, and once again Mah-Jongg has become one of the favorite pastimes of the Chinese people.
 

• Mah-Jongg in the western world

By 1895, Stewart Culin, an American anthropologist, wrote a paper in which Mah-Jongg was mentioned. This is the first known written account of Mah-Jongg in any language other than Chinese. By 1910, there were written accounts in many languages including French and Japanese. An important English read was Joseph Park Babcock's Rules of Mah-Jongg, which, simplified in 1920, was simply known as the "red book". Although this was the earliest version of Mah-Jongg that had been introduced to America, many of Babcock's simplifications were abandoned when the 1920s fad died out.

Many similar English language rulebooks, some of which contained inaccurate rumors (including those of the National Mah Jongg League, the governing body of American Mah-Jongg). A patently false claim was made that Mah-Jongg had originated in ancient China in order to bring an air of mystique into the game. Ironically, the urban legend about Mah-Jongg's ancient origins is recycled today to promote Mah-Jongg solitaire, a much newer game.

The game was a sensation in America when it was imported from China in the 1920s, as the same Mah-Jongg game took on a number of trademarked names, such as Pung Chow or the Game of Thousand Intelligences. Part of Mah-Jongg nights in America were to decorate rooms in Chinese style and dress like Chinese. Several hit songs were also recorded during the Mah-Jongg fad, most notably Since Ma is Playing Mah Jong by Eddie Cantor.

American Mah-Jongg, which was mainly played by women during the time, grew from this craze. By the 1930s, many revisions of the rules developed that were substantially different from Babcock's classical version (including some that were considered fundamentals in other variants, such as the notion of a standard hand). Standardization came with the formation of the National Mah Jongg League in 1937, along with the first American Mah-Jongg rulebook, Maajh: The American Version of the Ancient Chinese Game.

While Mah-Jongg was accepted by U.S. players of all racial backgrounds during the Babcock era, many consider the modern American version a Jewish game, as many American Mah-Jongg players are of Jewish descent. (Also, the NMJL was founded by Jewish players and considered a Jewish organization.) In addition, players usually use the American game as a family-friendly social activity, not as gambling.

British author Alan D. Millington revived the Chinese Classical game of the 1920s with his book, The Complete Book of Mah-jongg (1977). This handbook includes a formal rules set for the game. Many players in Western countries consider Millington's work authoritative.


Current development
Today, the popularity and demographic of players of Mah-Jongg differs greatly from country to country. There are also many governing bodies, which often host exhibition games and tournaments.

In Japan, there is a traditional emphasis on gambling and the typical player is male. Many devotees there believe the game is losing popularity and have taken efforts to revive it. In addition, Japanese video arcades have introduced Mah-Jongg arcade machines that can be connected to others over the internet, as well as video games that allow a victorious player to view pictures of women in varying stages of undress.

Mah-Jongg culture is still deeply ingrained in the Chinese community: Sam Hui wrote Cantopop songs, using Mah-Jongg as their themes. Chinese movies have always included scenes of Mah-Jongg games. Gambling movies have been filmed time and again in Hong Kong, and a recent sub-genre is the Mah-Jongg movie.