Mahjong

I remember sitting at my grandfather's computer for hours endlessly playing games of mahjong. Different tiles were stacked together, and I had to match the tiles up by removing them from the outer edges. While occasionally winning, most of the time I was unable to clear the stack away. And while I played this game at my American grandparent's house, the game of mahjong actually originated in China (in case the name didn't already give it away).

Typically made of tiles or playing cards, mahjong is divided into three categories- suits, honor and flowers. There are commonly 144 tiles per mahjong game and at the very least 136. For complete rules on how to play mahjong click here.

The history of mahjong is still debatable. While the first sightings of mahjong in America was 1920, different stories circulate around its creation in China. One story says a young beauty who lived in seclusion over 2000 years ago invented the game around the era of Confucius during the court of King Wu during the Shang Dynasty.

Another story says Chinese army officers during the Taiping Rebellion created the game to pass the time.

And yet other fables say Confucius created the game around 500 A.D. The game started to appear in various states of China coinciding with Confucius' travels.

While so much of Chinese history is credited to Confucius, it is hard not to add mahjong to the list. Mahjong translates into "chattering sparrow," appropriate for Confucius loved birds. It was believed he used the game as a teaching tool for his philosophies. The cardinal virtues bequeathed by Confucius are found on the three dragon (Cardinal) tiles, representing benevolence, sincerity and piety.

And the list still goes on...

Do I think the ancient fables of mahjong hold validity? Is it a more recent game than what people believe? Or does the game of mahjong hold Chinese cultural history? Maybe the answer is in the cards...I mean the tiles.