Mahjong culture
Mahjong has been a common culture of China, Hong Kong, Japan, and other Asian regions. It shows a high degree of influence from Chinese culture.
Hong Kong
In Hong Kong:
- During a Chinese wedding banquet, guests play Mahjong during the waiting time.
- A count-down Mahjong before the Chinese New Year or the New Year is a typical practice for many Hong Kong families.
- While most people have a Mahjong set at home, most Chinese restaurants offer sets of Mahjong equipment for their customers.
- Officially, casinos are illegal in Hong Kong. However, there are legal Mahjong schools, where gamblers can play Mahjong.
- The elderly are encouraged to play Mahjong as brain exercise.
- To invite a person to a Mahjong game is an indication of friendliness in Chinese Culture.
However, Mahjong games also create problems. Addiction to Mahjong is a common type of problem gambling. Mahjong is also a favourite medium for bribery - the person giving the bribe will intentionally lose large sums of money to the person being bribed. Recent studies also suggest Mahjong can cause epilepsy [1]
Pop culture
Cantopop singer Sam Hui's song The Mahjong Heroes (打雀英雄傳) talks about somebody playing Mahjong.
There are several Hong Kong and Japanese Mah Jong themed movies.