Mahjong mania

Perhaps you've strolled through Beijing parks this summer and noticed - perched between the recreational table-tennis players and the badminton players - groups of four or more people seated around small tables, staring intently at flat game boards, shouting and laughing as they flip tiles.

If so, you've just witnessed the popular Chinese game of mahjong in action.

The name means "sparrow", and there are myriad legends as to the game's origin. Some say it was developed by sparrow-catching soldiers in Jiangsu province; others trace the origins to aristocrats in Shanghai, and even to Confucius.