Mahjong came into existence in China and spread to the rest of the world in late 1920s. Prior to this, this game was played exclusively in its country of origin. According to historical evidences, this game could have become popular in China in the year 1880 as there is no evidence of its existence before this.

Origins of Mahjong in China

There is concrete evidence of the exact date of origin on Mahjong in China. There is a popular belief that Mahjong was invented by a beautiful woman living in the court of King of Wu. During the course of her secluded life, she is thought to have created this game to play with her maids.

This game was played only by the royal families for many centuries in China. In fact, commoners were prohibited by law to play this game. Anyone who went against the law had to face decapitation. This game became accessible to the common class only after the law was abolished in 500 AD. After this, there was no stopping Mahjong Games from reaching to all corners of the world.

Entry of Mahjong into America

Mahjong Games were brought into America by an American who lived in Shanghai Joseph B. Babcock. He customized the game for the American population. Firstly he coined the phrase Mah-Jongg and made the game simple for the Americans by giving them English translations, by adding numbers to the tiles and adding index letters. He was also responsible for bringing into America the first few Mahjong sets.

Huge numbers of Mahjong sets were imported in keeping with the rising popularity of the game in the early 20s. By the late 1920s however, this game lost its initial momentum in popularity and importers were struck with at least $2 million worth of Mahjong set stock.

In the 1930s, during the depression, there was revival of this game’s popularity along with many other board games, table games and card games. From then on till today, Mahjong continues to rule the roost.

Establishment of the National Mah Jongg League

In the United States, the year 1937 saw the establishment of the NMJL or the National MahJongg League. This was also when a new set of rules replaced the older ones with the writing of the American Mahjong rulebook.

Rules Governing Mahjong Games

In 1977, “The Complete Book of Mah-Jongg” was written by Alan D. Millington, a British author. This book till today continues to be the authority on this game setting out a list of formal rules.

Mahjong Continues to be a Favorite

Till today, Mahjong with its different variations continues to be very popular all over the world and especially in Asia. America is where you will find a variety of Mahjong tournaments held on a regular basis. The game is played with fervor by gaming enthusiasts across the world. Mahjong’s popularity continues to rise phenomenally due to the advent of the internet. Today, this game is accessed by millions of people around the world who play this game for fun as well as for real money.