Origins of Mahjong

The origins of Mahjong is a highly debated topic and to this day, there are many myths and stories of how and when it was actually created.

One myth suggests that the great Chinese philosopher, Confucius, created the game approximately 500 BC. It was said that Confucius developed the game out of his life experiences and travels. For example, the name "mahjong" was derived from Confucius' fondness of birds (maque = sparrow). However, this is most likely a myth as there is no evidence thus far that proves mahjong even existed prior to the Taiping era in the 19th century.

One particular theory suggests that the game was created by Chinese army officers during the Taiping Rebellion to pass the time. Another theory suggests that it was created between 1870 and 1875 by a nobleman living in Shanghai. It has also been believed by some that it was two brothers from Ningpo that created mahjong in 1850, again deriving it from the game of madiao.

Historians believe that Mahjong was derived from a Chinese card game called Madiao during the early Ming Dynasty era. This was played with 40 paper cards, numbered from 1 to 9 in four different suits as well as four extra flower cards. This can be seen to be similar to the numbering of mahjong tiles although mahjong has three suits.

In 1949, the game of mahjong was banned by the government when the country was founded. This was because mahjong is considered a gambling activity and the new communist government considered gambling to be symbols of capitalist corruption. After the Cultural Revolution, the game was revived and is considered to by a favorite pasttime amongst many asian countries.