 Although
the game Mah-Jongg as it is generally played today can
only be traced back to the end of the last century, the
line of games that evolved to Mah-Jongg is long and extensive.
From around 800 AD card games were played which resembled
the way Mah-Jongg is played, in the fact that you have
to collect Chows, Pungs and Kongs. The cards used in these
games resembled the money used in those days.
It was not before the turn of this century until the
West got a glimpse of Mah-Jongg, when it was introduced
in the international colony of Shanghai and from then
onwards in the USA, Japan and finally Europe. When it
was introduced in the West, it was claimed that it's
origins were shrouded in the mists of time, but most
 evidence
seems to point to the game being developed in the late
1800's in the Ningpo area of China. Most books on Mah-Jongg
published early this century confirm this. During those
first years after its introduction a real craze developed
around Mah-Jongg, but like all fashions it came and
went. However, recently a growing number of people are
realizing the intellectual challenge Mah-Jongg poses
and the beauty and excitement of the game itself. For
more information and play online, click http://www.mahjongg.com/gamegame.htm
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