Product Description

Confucius says it doesn’t really matter who invented the game, it’s your turn, play. You will enjoy playing on this beautiful Mahjong set. The classic 144 tile set includes 36 Circles, 36 Bamboo, 36 Character, 12 Dragon, 16 Wind, 4 Flower, 4 Season tiles and 3 die. The tiles are made of long wearing melamine and engraved with a beautiful Chinese character. Tiles are 1-1/4”H x 7/8”L x 5/8”W (30mm x 23mm x 15mm). The entire set fits into a beautiful carrying case that closes with slide clasps. The carrying case measures 13-4/5”L x 9-2/5”W x 2-1/5”H (35cm x 24cm x 5.5cm). The set is designed for Chinese rule play and does not include the American Joker tiles or racks.

Mahjong is a game of skill and strategy. It involves calculation and of course a small degree of chance. Players choose 13 tiles to begin play and then take turns drawing and discarding. The goal of the game is to collect sets of tiles based on the number and type. Mahjong translates as “Game of the Sparrows”. Lore holds that the name is derived from the sound the tiles make as they are being shuffled at the beginning of a game. The origins of the game are not known. Some say the game grew out of card games played by Chinese soldiers and others believe that the great philosopher Confucius invented it. The game lends itself to gambling which led the Chinese government to ban it during the Cultural Revolution. Mahjong has spread around the Globe and there are many variations of rules, tiles and play.