Mahjong
Mahjong originally came from the Ming dynasty. It became popular in Hong Kong in 1910 (the Ching dynasty) but was only played by male gamblers. Over the years, it became very popular with everyone, even the well off ladies played it. In 1918, the Hong Kong government tried to make Mahjong illegal but were unsuccessful because it was so popular. Instead, they made gambling illegal.
Even to this day, gambling is illegal in Hong Kong however, Mahjong is still as popular as it was before. There are some licensed Mahjong houses in Hong Kong that don't show the money on the table claiming to play it only as a game not for gambling. Unfortunately, in some of these places that it not the full truth.
The name Mahjong means sparrow because one of the pieces is a sparrow. It is often played at gatherings, restaurants and at Chinese wedding banquets.
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