MahJong is a Chinese game that consists of small white tiles, decorated with various pictures, symbols and characters. MahJong in a way works like dominos, and the goal is to obtain as many full suits of these as you can (these can be seasons, numbers, even sayings). The person who has the most number of suits at the end of the game wins. There are several different variations on how to play this game depending on the region it is played it. It has been adopted by many different countries, but the standard format of the tiles typically applies.
It is not completely clear who actually invented this game. However, there are rumors that the game started somewhere around the 1850s during the Ming Dynasty. In the beginnings of the game, paper was used instead of tiles. Toward the end of the 19th century, they began using tiles more frequently.
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Elaborate boxes for this game were created in the late 1800s, and were often used by wealthy, travelling businessmen. Often times very small tiles or paper pieces were used in these sets, to lighten up the travel load. These boxes are often made from fine woods such as rosewood and lined with bamboo, and are usually decorated with carvings or brass designs of dragons, flowers, or birds.
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