There are several theories about the origin of mahjong.

Mahjong originated in China. It was originally a game played by royalty and nobility. Its history can be traced back to three or four thousand years ago. In the long process of historical evolution, mahjong gradually spread from the palace to the people, and basically took shape in the middle of Qing Dynasty.

According to legend, in the Ming Dynasty, there was a man named Wan Bingtiao who created mahjong on the basis of Ye Zige Opera, and took his own name "Wan, C and Tiao" as the three basic colors. On the other hand, some people say that mahjong was originally a "grain protection card" in Taicang, Jiangsu. For example, the pattern of "barrel" is a powder gun. It is also said that the basic number of mahjong tiles is 108, representing 108 heroes in the water margin, and the southeast and northwest represent these heroes in all directions; White China means that some of these people are middle class, some are high-ranking officials and nobles, and some are from Ding Bai.

According to relevant data, there used to be a royal granary in Taicang County, Jiangsu Province, which hoarded rice for the "South Grain to North Transfer Project" all the year round. Many natural birds suffer from food, and a lot of food is lost every year because of the pain of birds. In order to reward the bird catcher and protect the grain, the officials in charge of the granary recorded the number of birds with bamboo pieces and paid them accordingly. This is Taicang's "food protection card". This card is engraved with various symbols and numbers, which can be watched and played, and can also be used as a voucher for exchanging bonuses. The games, symbols and appellations of this kind of food protection card are all related to bird catching.