History of Mah Jongg in US
Is this picture accurate?
Perhaps you are curious when Mah Jongg was first played? We know the game originated in China, and many believe its an ancient game. During the 1920’s the game was introduced to the Western World.
But do we know how long the Chinese have been playing? Did Confucius play the game? Is it REALLY that old?
This video should help set the record straight.
For another opinion, Tom Sloper, a noted expert on the game says:
“Mah-Jongg is NOT an ancient game, as author after author insist. That origin legend is just a lot of marketing hype that started in the 1920s when mah-jongg first became popular around the world.
Mah-Jongg as we know it today was created in the mid-to-late 1800s, based on (inspired by, derived from) money-suited card games that do go back to ancient times. In fact, those “ancient” cards and games were also the progenitors of today’s tarot cards and playing cards. The earliest written record describing the gameplay of mah-jongg is no older than the 1890s, and the earliest known mah-jongg sets go back no farther than the 1870s.”
For more on this and other Mah Jongg topics, visit Tom’s site