![]() ![]() The stone represents a 筒 (tóng), which is a coin with a square hole in the middle. Just like bamboo sticks, stones also have four of each piece that are numbered 1 to 9. The early Mahjong players depict the stones as coins or shields. This suit is formed by the wheels (pin-zu) which may also be called balls or circles and contains 36 tiles of stones. One is usually in a symbol of a peacock or sparrow and people sometimes call this, “bird,” instead of “one stick.” Bamboo sticks represent the strings that ancient copper coins in sets of 100 or 1,000 were strung on to. There are 36 tiles for Bamboo Sticks (sou-zu) and each has four tiles of the numbers, one to nine. Here are the different kinds of Mahjong tiles: Lastly, there are also optional suits, which are different kinds of flowers. Aside from the three main suits, each Mahjong set also has two kinds of honor suits, namely Winds (compass directions) and Dragons. One Mahjong set typically contains 144 tiles with four of each three suits, namely Bamboo (String), Stones (Wheels), and Characters (Numbers). It’s a four-player game that is well-known throughout Asia and may be played as a casual game with family and friends or as a way to gamble. Zhang Yiwu, a professor at Peking University, said he thought that the redesign might have come about because some foreigners have difficulties understanding what the patterns mean and want to make the game easier, and that they were not changed to abuse Chinese culture.The origin of Mahjong (麻將) dates back to early civilization and remains popular to this day. Li said she can understand why these netizens are so angry. Players can sort out them in line with patterns and count the numbers, which is the rule." I saw the redesign and think it cannot compare with our traditional tiles as the traditional ones have deep cultural ties," a resident in Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality surnamed Li told the Global Times. "I love playing mahjong, which is very popular in my hometown. ![]() Honor tiles remind people to pursue the truth and Bonus tiles ask people not to be greedy. Simple tiles represent the idea that people should have good intentions toward others, so that they can have a consummate life. For example, three kinds of mahjong tiles, Simples tiles, Honors tiles and Bonus tiles, remind people to care about the direction of their life. Some netizens questioned whether the company's redesign and the company's founders' attitude toward traditional mahjong was cultural appropriation and reflected their prejudice that US culture is better than Asian culture.Īccording to introductions on the website of the Chinese mahjong exchange center, patterns on mahjong tiles all have their own meanings. But to many Chinese and Chinese Americans, it's much more than just a game," one netizen "Pearl River Mart" wrote on Twitter.Ī wall of mahjong tiles stands out in a shopping mall in Jinan, East China’s Shandong Province on October 23, 2017. "Shall we talk about mahjong? There's nothing like the vivid art, smooth lines, and satisfying clacks of a classic mahjong set. Some Twitter users wrote that to them, mahjong is more than a game. The neon-colored mahjong tiles quickly enraged many netizens on Twitter. The mahjong tile sets had a price tag between $325 and $425 and were launched on Tuesday. The company changed the colors and patterns of the traditional mahjong tiles to some colorful images such as bar soap and flour. The Mahjong Line, based in Dallas, was the brainchild of Kate LaGere, one of the three founders who are all white women, after she "discovered" that the traditional tiles had the same designs and "did not reflect the fun" she had while playing the game, according to the company's website. The company apologized on Tuesday, but some netizens were still not satisfied. Photo: Screenshot of The Mahjong Line websiteĪ US company was widely condemned for redesigning Mahjong tiles and renaming the game "American Mahjong", lighting fury among Twitter users, who said the move was racist and disrespectful of Chinese culture. ![]()
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