Classic Chinese Mahjong Set - Emerald - Translucent Green - with Wooden Case

I already have 2 sets which I love for American Mahjong including one from Yellow Mountain Imports. I decided to get one specifically for Chinese Mahjong to save having to separate out the extras that American Mahjong uses. After looking at several sets, I finally settled on YMI again for the following reasons: 1) It includes Arabic numbers on the tiles and Roman type on the wind tiles. I personally don't care, but most of the people I'll be playing with will want that. 2) The tiles have traditional the Chinese dragons and are easier to tell apart if you're color-blind. 3) The tile size is a good compromise between the more traditional large Chinese Mahjong tiles and what most folks are used to playing with in the US. The tiles are SLIGHTLY larger than American Mahjong tiles, but not too large that they would put off folks who are used to the American Mahjong size. Lastly, they are truly beautiful tiles. Finally, the tiles are even more impressive in person than online. I really wanted another color on the back, but now that I have them, I can't stop looking at them. The box they come in is also really beautiful. It's felt-lined inside & will protect the tiles. It's also not too heavy empty so it doesn't add a lot of weight for carrying.

I'll start with the negatives: 1. The die that comes in the wind marker had to be sanded down a little because it was slightly too big, so it would get completely wedged into the holder. Sanding it down was very simple, though, because it is a soft wood. Since I haven't seen anyone else complain about this, I think I just got an odd one. 2. Many of the tiles have very small cracks around the carved characters. This is just an aesthetic issue. 3. The tiles were covered in weird factory dust when I took them out of the cellophane. I had to dust each tile individually with a rag. But hey, they're brand new, so that's not unexpected. Plus I won't have to do that again (until I have to clean them). 4. the included dice look like they were painted under the influence. It's a really shoddy paint job. They almost look perpetually dirty. Fortunately, they are one of the cheapest, most easily replaced parts of the set. They just kind of ruin the effect of the beautiful tiles and case. 5.The included instructions can just be thrown away. Yes, the set comes with a small instructional leaflet, but it has some weird flaws, and if you don't already play, I'm not sure that these instructions will help much, especially when strange situations arise during gameplay. You can try learning from them, but I recommend you get a book or find someone who plays to teach you. Now let's talk about the positives, which in my opinion FAR outweigh the negatives: 1. The tiles themselves are absolutely perfect (aside from the tiny, non-threatening cracks mentioned above). They slide very nicely, the characters are crystal clear (and look nicer than the characters on standard HK-style tiles, IMHO), and they are a very good size. They are just a tad smaller than the normal HK ones, but they are certainly big enough to see, handle, and not be afraid of losing any; in fact, we play on a card table, and the slightly smaller size makes all the difference. As for the clarity of the characters, this would be a good set to teach with even if it didn't have the Arabic numerals and Roman letters because you can see every stroke on the tiles (unlike tiles where the 發 and 萬 are just a green and red blur, respectively). However, in my area of the US, anyone who's heard of the game usually associates it with the words "ridiculously difficult," so it's nice to have the western indexes on the tiles so that at least no one can use the "I can't read Chinese, and I'm too lazy to learn the whopping 15 characters necessary to distinguish the tiles" excuse. 2. The case and trays feel very solid. I was afraid that at least the trays would be flimsy, but they feel pretty substantial. The case itself is also very sturdy, and the handle on the case feels more stable than the handle on our box with the good flatware in it. Both the box and the trays are lined with a velvety sort of material, which is also on the bottom of the case, so you can put it on a wooden table without worrying about scratching it. In size, shape, look, feel, and overall impression, the case really does remind me of the sort of case you'd expect to find real silver silverware in. 3. This one is more of a heads up: when I bought this, the picture showed betting sticks instead of chips, but the description said it came with chips, and I saw another reviewer confirm that it came with chips, not sticks. Well, mine definitely came with sticks, and I love them. They are much easier the handle than those cheap MJ chips that sets usually come with. Plus they make you feel a little more traditional when playing. Overall, the whole set is so nice to look at and to handle that I can hardly describe how much I love it. A great purchase. If you are giving this as a gift, it should be well appreciated; HOWEVER, do remember that despite the western markings, this is a set for Chinese mahjong, as it has only 144 tiles (no jokers). It won't work for American styles of mahjong.

I’m so excited about this Chinese mahjong set. It is beautiful!! Excellent quality. The tiles are a little bigger than the average size which makes them perfect for my age. (64) I feel so lucky to have gotten this set for this price. I had ordered a different one and it had not been shipped and it had been two weeks, So I cancelled and went back to the drawing board and found this set. The color of the tiles are a sparkling rose gold color. The case is also beautiful and made so well. I just had it delivered and couldn’t wait to send out a review.

Beautiful looking set that came with a booklet of detailed instructions. Bought it as a gift for my son. He should be very happy with it.

This is a great quality set. The tiles are pretty and they're nice and big. They're not the biggest out there but big enough to easily stand on end without the need for racks (as the Chinese prefer not to use, which is why they like huge tiles). The tiles are marked with western numerals and letters, so you don't have to read Chinese to play. The champagne glitter scheme is quite attractive but not girly-looking. Also, the case is fairly sturdy and isn't going to fall apart any time soon, and it's made of wood, with felt on the bottom so you don't scratch up your table. There are enough betting sticks to play the Chinese variants of the game (120 sticks in all) and a cube with wooden holder to indicate the round. The inside of the case is lined with felt to protect the tiles. FYI, if you play American/Western mahjong, this isn't the set for you. There are no jokers or racks with it. Then again, the racks aren't really necessary with such thick tiles. It sounds a little pricey at $120, but the price is well worth it for its quality. I'll have fun with this one for years.

This is really a great, stylish MahJong set. Very different base color (I think black is considered an unlucky color in chinese). Great color combinations, I've seen another Black tile set where the chosen colors just don't go well together. These colors go very well together. The case is custom made for these tiles, and suits them perfectly. My only complaint is that the tiles are smaller than the nice, large Chinese Mahjong tiles I'm used to. This is listed as a toy for some reason, I guess because it's a game. There is some educational value to it in that there are no helper numbers on the tiles, so you have to learn the chinese characters for 1 - 9. Something kids will love, and probably adults will hate. This set is for Chinese and Japanese rules, not American. (Different amount of tiles) Overall a great product, it really is cool looking! If you only know Mahjong from those Solitaire games, please get 4 people together and learn how to play real Mahjong! [...] [...]

Great quality. Packs up well. Characters are beautiful. Love having the scoring sticks and little extras.

The quality of these tiles excellent came in a timely fashion and the case is so beautiful thank you for my set can't wait to start playing

The set and case are beautiful. The tiles sit in their trays like a box of very expensive chocolates. The colours are clear and the tiles are big enough to handle easily. The box is nicely made and looks good, but I doubt it would stand up to much travel without stating to look battered. The handle appears sturdy enough, but I suspect it would start to work loose if the box was carried very far by the handle. The tiles sit in four removable trays covered in a red velvet like material, and appear sturdy enough for the job. Accessories sit in a fifth removable tray. Reading other reviews i see the following complaints;- The tiles are too small/light The ties are too big/heavy No western numbering Chemical smell Re the size, as is stated in the description, the tiles are 32 mm tall. this makes them smallish by Chinese mahjong standards, where 40mm tiles are fast becoming the norm, and sizes up to 46 mm can be bought. On the other hand Japanese players use 26 or 28 mm tiles. so it depends what you are used to. The tile size seems like a good compromise. They are also pretty thick, so they stand easily. For the record, each tile weights 16g. for comparison tiles in another set I have, which are 37mm tall weigh 30g. Those that complain about the lack of western numbering have obviously not read the description or looked at the photos. If you need Arabic numbering these are not the tiles for you. On the other hand it is not difficult to learn the four winds and the 5-9 characters, then you are ready to go. The set arrived when Amazon said it would, and was well packaged, in two layers or cardboard box with foam padding between the inner cardboard box and wooden mahjong box. it arrived in perfect condition. There is a slight chemical smell, as you open the lid of the box. This, I'm sure will disappear in time. It's really not an issue. There are 148 tiles, including 4 blanks. The normal Chinese set including flower and wind tiles. You can play Chinese versions of the game, and Japanese Riichi providing you don't mind playing without red fives. It's not suitable for American mahjong version So, I'm very happy with the set. I have no complaints about either the quality or the description. It will be be used for playing at home, or transported to other peoples houses in a car and not carried by the handle.

Muy bonito set; si las fichas fueran un poco más grandes sería genial. La caja de madera también es bonita.

Everything is fine but the golden background is a little too much.

Dit was een kado voor mijn vrouw. Ze is er ontzettend blij mee en de kwaliteit van de stenen en ook de doos is beter dan verwacht!

Questo set è pensato chiaramente per chi ama il mahjong nella sua forma più autentica: niente Joker, niente numeri arabi tranne che sui Fiori, solo simboli cinesi tradizionali incisi con precisione. Le tessere sono davvero belle da vedere e da toccare: grandi, pesanti al punto giusto e con una finitura che resiste bene ai graffi. Il suono che fanno quando si mischiano sul tavolo è soddisfacente, pieno, come ci si aspetta da un set di qualità. Il design è minimale ma elegante, con una custodia in vinile verde scuro che dà subito l’idea di un oggetto curato. È rigida, protegge bene tutto il contenuto e ha anche un certo stile con il manico dorato, anche se il peso complessivo (oltre 6 kg) lo rende meno adatto da portare in giro spesso. Gli accessori inclusi (dadi, indicatore del vento, tessere extra) sono utili e ben fatti, ma attenzione: non ci sono rack né pusher, quindi bisogna essere già attrezzati o disposti a giocare “alla vecchia maniera”, direttamente sul tavolo. Le istruzioni sono solo in inglese, un dettaglio da considerare se si vuole regalare a qualcuno non pratico con la lingua. Non è un set per tutti: chi cerca il mahjong in stile americano o giapponese dovrà guardare altrove. Ma per chi, come mio figlio di 13 anni che ha iniziato a studiare le regole cinesi classiche grazie a un amico di origini asiatiche, vuole un’esperienza autentica e rispettosa della tradizione, è davvero difficile trovare di meglio in questa fascia di prezzo. Gli dò 5 stelle piene in quanto combina estetica, qualità costruttiva e rispetto per il gioco tradizionale in modo impeccabile