Mahjong tiles, also known as "sparrow tiles," are the playing cards used in the game of Mahjong. Their prototype originated from the Ming Dynasty's "Ma Diao" tiles, which can be traced back to the evolution of the Tang Dynasty's "Leaf Game." After evolving from the Ming Dynasty's Ma Diao tiles, Chen Yumen added wind and arrow tiles in the late Qing Dynasty, resulting in the modern form. The tiles consist of "bamboo, circles, and characters" and "east, south, west, north, center, green, and white." Early tiles were mostly made of bamboo and wood; ox bone tiles appeared during the Republic of China period; and modern tiles are mainly made of plastic.
A standard Mahjong set consists of 136 tiles, with four of each type. The disposal of production waste has also raised environmental concerns, leading to the construction of solid waste disposal centers to achieve waste recycling.
