Trading tiles for smiles

Mahjong is one of the most popular games in China. You can ride on a bus in early morning and overhear a middle-aged woman talking excitedly about winning 400 yuan ($56) in a game the night before.

It brings a lot of fun to families and friends who play it. The game demands a lot of calculating, which requires a lot of quick thinking. It is a good way of improving your logic, memory and judgement. Some even believe the game can help to curb senile dementia.

The game has been played for around 400 years in China, and it has become officialized and considered a "social sport", just like the game of Bridge.