Mahjong

[Ian_Lee]

Out 0f the three great games invented by ancient Chinese -- xiang qi (Chinese chess), wei qi and mahjong -- mahjong is the most complicated and most popular worldwide.

I watched the Old "Seinfeld" and in one episode those old White American retirees played mahjong in the retirement homes in Florida.

Mahjong is actually a great game to delay the Alzheimer for senior citizens.

But unlike xiang qi and wei qi which depends on 90% skill and 10% luck, mahjong depends on 30% skill and 70% luck. (I always suspect there is a spirit wandering around every mahjong table.)

Mahjong is immensely popular in Japan and Chinese communities (lately mahjong is making a strong comeback in Mainland China). But surprisingly not too many Koreans know how to play mahjong.

Actually the style of mahjong reflects the character of that region.

For Japanese style mahjong, every player has to arrange every individual mahjong that you put away in a sequence on the table. That reflects the systemmatic character of the Japanese.

For Taiwanese style mahjong (originated from Shanghai), there are so many gimmicks. Such gimmicks look like the character of Shanghaiese.

For HK style mahjong (originated from Guangdong), it is more plain and straight which reflects the character of Cantonese.

In HK, there are businesses called mahjong school. But ironically it is not any kind of "school" at all. It is the most clandestine business with heavy curtain blocking views from outside and paper ghost money burning on the sidewalk every evening!

In Japan, they invented the electrical shuffling table which the machine will help you shuffle the mahjong after every game. But I guess such device has given the fun away!

[skylee]

Hardly any of my friends (HK Chinese) play mahjong at all. Isn't this strange?

One of my colleagues once worked in the police force (as civilian) and he's told me of a variation in which people race to get a 糊 and all the three losers pay the winner an agreed sum per game (say HKD100). The trick is to get a 糊, no matter how small, really fast. He says it is the most stressful game he has played and one could lose all the money in no time.

[Ian_Lee]

Skylee:

Your former police friend must be used to frequent the mahjong school. The golden rule for those "schools" is that you must race to win.

In fact, they have lots of rules printed in a plastic sign sticker that hangs down from the center over each table.

Mahjong "schoolmate" is also the weirdest profession in the world.

[TSkillet]

It's odd - a lot of people my age (or younger) don't know how to play either (I'm 29). I learned here in the states playing with my cousins and played a little bit when I was in Hong Kong. Strangely enough, now that I live in Texas I play a lot more (twice a month)

[Ian_Lee]

Tskillet:

I guess less people of the younger generation are addicted to mahjong is because there have been more venues of amusement/gaming since the '80s.

I only got addicted to it when I worked for a Japanese company whose newly arrived boss needed somebody to play mahjong to kill time. After he learnt how to gamble on horse-racing and casinoing in Macau, we were relieved of the duty.

[geri_phua]

Hi everyone,

I'm currently doing research for a new travel show, and one of the topics I'm looking at is mahjong as a form of leisure activity in HK.

Can someone tell me if there are any mahjong schools/ parlours, or any mahjong associations I can email/ call for more info? Cos I have been trying to search online but not much success... Or perhaps you know someone who is really into mahjong, the ultimate expert who's been playing mahjong for the longest time, etc... I'd really like to get hold of these people and talk to them.

Please help!!! Thanks!

Rgds,

Geri