When Number Two Son told The Wife and me that he had learned to play Mahjong and was playing it with his Chinese American girlfriend and her family, I was really surprised. Although my father would knew how to play and would on rare occasions play, I never learned to play myself. Later, I saw this Slate article that says a new generation of Asian Americans is learning to play the game of Mahjong.
My experiences largely mirror the experiences of the article author. My parents never taught my siblings and me how to playing, figuring that it was not a good use of time and that we would gamble away our money. Now my Gen Z son is playing mahjong! Mahjong clubs have multiplied beyond Los Angeles and New York to other places with Asian Americans, apparently including my son’s girlfriend’s parents’ house.
I find it interesting how younger Asian Americans are learning a game of their ancestors. All of the founders of these clubs that the article author talked to said that mahjong is a way to connect with others, especially after the isolation of the pandemic. I wish I learned to play – would have made a key scene of the Crazy Rich Asians movie that involved Mahjong more meaningful to me. Perhaps I will get Number Two Son and his girlfriend to teach The Wife and me – a way for us all to connect more closely.
(photo credit: yui by Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license)
