Mahjong: The Chinese Game of Tiles and Tactics

A pocket flexibound guide with 100 illustrations and photographs, Mahjong will fascinate anyone interested in one of the world’s most widely-played games.

The clickety-clack of mahjong tiles being mixed by a group of friends is one of the most soothing and distinctive sounds found across East Asia and, increasingly, North America. First developed in southern China in the early 19th century, mahjong – meaning ‘sparrow’ – is a fun and popular game that tasks you with solving a tile-matching puzzle before you run out of moves. Played by four people using 144 tiles, mahjong is not just a game of luck; it requires strategy, pattern recognition, and an understanding of the other players’ tactics. Mahjong introduces this highly engaging and competitive game, which helps develop concentration and mental agility while at the same time building relationships and a sense of community. The book is divided into chapters designed for the beginner, offering a brief background history, with introductions to the tiles, rules, playing the game, and popular variants and competitions. Find out how to shuffle and stack tiles to start the game; learn the difference between a kong and a pong and how this can win you points; understand the significance of the honour tiles, including the four winds and the three coloured dragons; and find out what ‘winning from the wall’ means to complete a ‘legal hand’.

Joseph Brant is a British writer, editor, publicist and consultant based in London. After
graduating in English Literature from University of London, Joseph worked as a writer for
various newspapers, magazines, film and video game companies before heading to Beijing as
part of a Sino-European funded exchange program, where they continued to write for
prestigious Chinese publications. Notable projects have included award-winning mobile
games, and genre fiction collections, as well as contributing to titles on Chinese mythology
and street fashion. Joseph is an experienced Mahjong player, and has taught the game for
over a decade to players of all ages.

Xueting C. Ni has written extensively on Chinese culture for over a decade, working with companies, institutions and festivals, to help improve understanding of China’s heritage, culture and innovation. She is the author of From Kuanyin to Chairman Mao: An Essential Guide to Chinese Deities. Her curated anthology of Chinese science fiction Sinopticon, won Best Anthology at the BFS Awards, 2022. She is currently translating and editing a collection of horror fiction.