Mahjong
in China
One of the myths of the origin of mahjong suggests
that Confucius, the Chinese philosopher, developed
the game in about 500 BC.The three dragon (cardinal)
tiles also agree with the three cardinal virtues bequeathed
by Confucius. Hóng Zhōng (紅中  ,
red middle), Fā Cái (發財  ,
prosperity), and Bái Ban (白板  ,
white board) represent benevolence, sincerity, and
filial piety, respectively.
The myth also claims that Confucius was fond of birds,
which would explain the name "mahjong" (maque
麻雀 = sparrow).
Many historians believe it was based on a Chinese
card game called Mǎdiào (馬吊) (also
known as Ma Tiae, hanging horse; or Yèzí [葉子],
leaf) in the early Ming dynasty. This game was played
with 40 paper cards similar in appearance to the cards
used in the game Ya Pei. These 40 cards are numbered
1 to 9 in four different suits, along with four extra
flower cards. This is quite similar to the numbering
of mahjong tiles today, although mahjong only has
three suits and, in effect, uses four packs of Ya
Pei cards.
There is still some debate about who created the game.
One theory is that Chinese army officers serving during
the Taiping Rebellion created the game to pass the
time. Another theory is that a nobleman living in
the Shanghai area created the game between 1870 and
1875. Others believe that two brothers from Níngpō
created mahjong around 1850, from the earlier game
of Mǎdiào.
This game was banned by the government of People's
Republic of China when it took power in 1949.[3] The
new Communist government forbade any gambling activities,
which were regarded as symbols of capitalist corruption.
After the Cultural Revolution, the game was revived,
without gambling elements (see below), and the prohibition
was revoked in 1985. Today, it is a favorite pastime
in China and other Chinese-speaking communities. |
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