The game of "Mah-Jong" has long been the favorite game of the Chinese, but it is only in the last few years that it has become popular among Americans and Europeans living in the Far East. In the Treaty Ports of China, it has, to a very great extent, taken the place of Bridge. It is sometimes described as the game of the "Thousand Wonders," and as the game of a "Hundred Intelligences," and has been appropriately named in both instances. Its fascination seems incredible, possibly because of its infinite variety and because it is one of the few games of sustained interest which is played without partners, no one being asked to risk one's money on another's game.
Several books of rules have been published on the game of "Mah-Jong" which frequently differ in minor details. The rules given in this book can now be termed in a sense standard, because they are based upon an exhaustive comparison of the rules which govern the play in the principal American, European and Chinese Clubs in Shanghai, Hongkong and Peking, and in the Clubs that have adopted the game in the United States.
In the following pages, it has been the author's purpose to explain the game step by step, in such a manner that any person who has never seen it played, and has nothing to guide him but a set of "tiles" and the following instructions and illustrations, should be able to master the essentials, and to become thoroughly conversant with the principles of play, so as to enter fully into the enjoyment of the many fascinations of "Mah-Jong."
Use your browser's BACK button to return to the previous page.