Mahjong: Traditional Chinese tile game surging in popularity

Mahjong, invented in 19th century China, is gaining popularity with a new generation of players. Played at Lunar New Year and other gatherings, mahjong has become a symbol of friendship and family bonds. Chinese restaurants provide tables and mahjong sets to customers who host wedding or birthday banquets.  Each mahjong set has 144 tiles with designs that include Chinese characters, dots, flowers and bamboo sticks. The four players sit around a square table and shuffle the tiles face-down. Each arranges a set of tiles, like a hand of cards, before the game starts. They then take turns drawing and discarding the tiles until one player forms a winning combination.