95 replies to this topic

[oliverarodriguez]

I have a book at home from 1928 which author is named something "Foster". This says that Mah jong was created for a western man based on chinese mythology. I don´t remember the name of the guy, I think it was English or from U.S.

[Genghis_Khan]

I have a book at home from 1928 which author is named something "Foster". This says that Mah jong was created for a western man based on chinese mythology. I don´t remember the name of the guy, I think it was English or from U.S.

So, it was pretty recent that Mahjong was invented ??

[fcharton]

I didn't know Mahjong was popular to the west and USA...
Issit played by asian in the west or play by european ?
Do they called it Mahjong too ?

As jwrewak said, Mahjong was popular in the west in the 20s. My grandmother (who is 95 now, and not chinese at all) told me that it was a fashionable game in the 20s, among youngsters of the "good society" in France. I, for one, was taught how to play long before I was interested in China, and was surprised to observe that the rules were the same as (or at least very close to) those used in China. I would suspect that it was introduced in France through Indochina and the French concession in Yunnan.

Francois

[snowybeagle]

French playing mahjongs? Cool. What is the game called in France?
Does it use Chinese characters too?

[fcharton]

French playing mahjongs? Cool. What is the game called in France?
Does it use Chinese characters too?

It is called mahjong, and pronounced the same (even though the "h" doesn't sound...). All those I have seen do have chinese characters, with sometimes numbers for the "character" series, and letters for the winds and dragons. I suspect the old games were the same.

[Genghis_Khan]

It is called mahjong, and pronounced the same (even though the "h" doesn't sound...). All those I have seen do have chinese characters, with sometimes numbers for the "character" series, and letters for the winds and dragons. I suspect the old games were the same.

Are you really sure westerner play Mahjong ? That's pretty new to me...
Why there is no documentary on it or articles ??
Any supported documents ??
I thought even if westerner play mahjong, they were Asian (Chinese) migrate...
Anyway, how popular is it ?? or maybe out of 1,000 only 1 can play ?

Edited by Genghis_Khan, 09 May 2006 - 08:11 AM.

[fcharton]

Are you really sure westerner play Mahjong ? That's pretty new to me...
Why there is no documentary on it or articles ??
Any supported documents ??
I thought even if westerner play mahjong, they were Asian (Chinese) migrate...
Anyway, how popular is it ?? or maybe out of 1,000 only 1 can play ?

The proportion is indeed very small, and if you ask an average westerner, he will probably does not even know of mahjong. Yet, the game was introduced in the west a long time ago, and some people who have no link with china do play it (as I said, I know a couple of them in my extended family).

I think it is not much documented because there never was anything like a "mah-jong craze" in France. I will try to find some more info, and let you know.

Francois

[urofpersia]

http://www.cjnews.co...rts/leisure.htm

Found this article on Jewish women and Mahjong. For some strange reason I find the mental image of a bunch of old Jewish women playing Mahjong while yabbering away in Yiddish very easy to picture.

[Genghis_Khan]

I wonder,if Western people use the Mahjong playset in European language inscriptions ?

Original version has Chinese characters,they would have to learn to recognize in order to play the game.

Yeah, maybe they have their own tile sets without Chinese Character...
Really, unbelievable they can play it in the University campus...

[snowybeagle]

I suppose it's the equivalent of the bridge club, except that I find mahjong much easier to understand.

And the sounds made by the tiles knocking against each other ... is something mahjong afficiandos cannot do without.

I've seen mahjong cards ... but most players don't like it because without the feelings of the tiles and the sounds made, it's just not the same.

[Genghis_Khan]

Wonder anyone can provide use the photo of westerner mahjong, did they make it their own or they just bought over from China...

[fcharton]

I wonder,if Western people use the Mahjong playset in European language inscriptions ?

Original version has Chinese characters,they would have to learn to recognize in order to play the game.

All the versions I have seen here (including the one we play at home, which by the way was bought in a very French chess shop) retain the original characters. The "characters" series have a small arab number on the corner (1 to 9), which allows one to know the series. The dragons and winds usually have a letter, not that it helps the game in any way.

Googling, I also discovered that there is a French mahjong federation...
Francois

[Genghis_Khan]

All the versions I have seen here (including the one we play at home, which by the way was bought in a very French chess shop) retain the original characters. The "characters" series have a small arab number on the corner (1 to 9), which allows one to know the series. The dragons and winds usually have a letter, not that it helps the game in any way.

Googling, I also discovered that there is a French mahjong federation...
Francois

Anywhere can contribute the photos to us see here ?
TQ...
Personally, do you know how to play ?

[Liang Jieming]

I suppose it's the equivalent of the bridge club, except that I find mahjong much easier to understand.

And the sounds made by the tiles knocking against each other ... is something mahjong afficiandos cannot do without.

I've seen mahjong cards ... but most players don't like it because without the feelings of the tiles and the sounds made, it's just not the same.

I love playing bridge. The team element in bridge is just exhilarating.

Mahjong is fun too but too many experts around me that it makes it extremely painful pocketwise to play too often.