China Underground > Entertainment > Mahjong, one of the most representative games of the Chinese tradition

Mahjong, one of the most representative games of the Chinese tradition

Mahjong in China plays an important role in Chinese society. Anyone who has been to China at least once will surely have noticed: the Chinese love to play games.

Whether at home with friends, with the family, or simply in the street with a few plastic chairs and a small table, board games and betting are undoubtedly an important part of their daily lives. Some traditional Chinese games are still very popular pastimes in China, so much that it can be said that there is no Chinese person who does not know how to play them, especially among the elderly. Mahjong is probably the most famous game with tiles: when did it start and how is it played?

Mahjong: how and when it was born

Mahjong is undoubtedly one of the most representative games of the Chinese tradition, as well as being known and played today in the rest of the world. As explained in an article published by Stanford University, it originated in nineteenth-century China. According to some, mahjong is a combination of dominoes and mah-tiae, a card game that has existed in China since the 15th century, while others believe that it was invented for royalty and nobility. As for the name of the game, there are many doubts: according to one theory, mahjong means “hemp bird” or “squabbling sparrows” and refers to the noise of the game tiles, very similar to the sound of two sparrows fighting over food on a roof tile; according to others, the name could be a tribute to Confucius, a bird lover. Regardless of the theories on its origin, mahjong is said to have spread in China during the 1800s, to arrive overseas, particularly in America, around 1885, the year in which the first articles on the game began to be published.

Versions of the game

Like most games with a long tradition and because it has spread to different parts of the world, mahjong does not have unique rules that are valid for every country. Rather than rules, therefore, it is more possible to speak of different interpretations of the game. Best au online gambling sites are the best place where to start. This principle is also valid for other types of games, such as roulette, of which there is a French and an American version, and blackjack, which can also be played with different variations. Among these, there is a classic version, the simplest, and the European version, the most popular on the net.

Since the last few years, when mahjong began to be played on the Internet, a simplified version of the game began to circulate, which can be played alone and if you are lucky enough you can get online casino real money. In the latter case, the tiles are not arranged like walls as in the classic version, but rather like a pyramid, while the game aims to match tiles with identical symbols until all of them are used up. To be eliminated, however, the tiles must not be covered by others or must be free on at least one side. A simplified version of mahjong, therefore, is partly similar to memory and has the advantage that it can also be played alone and with the simple help of a computer.

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Last Updated on 2021/05/10

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