by Aria Hsia(image source: People’s Daily)
If you’ve ever spent time in Asia or watched Asian movies, you may have seen people seated before a square table stacked with suspicious green tiles. Or, you may have walked down the alleys of Taiwan and heard strange click click sounds coming through the doorways. Don’t be alarmed, for nothing strange is going on behind those closed doors. Chances are, those strange clicking sounds are the sounds of tiles shuffling together in a heated game of mahjong. So what is mahjong, and why is it so popular among Taiwanese people? Mahjong is a tile-based game that originated from China during the Qing dynasty, and has since spread to many Asian countries including Japan, Korea, and in recent years, Western countries too. The name mahjong is said to be derived from the word mah (麻) meaning sparrow in Chinese, as the clacking sounds of the tiles shuffling together resemble the chattering of sparrows. In Taiwan, the game is played with 144 tiles (with different variations depending on region) based on Chinese characters and symbols. The ultimate goal is to assemble six combinations, five of them being comprised of either series, triples, or quadruples, and the last one an eye. There are three basic ways to form a combination. The first one is a series, meaning three tiles must be in sequential order. When you form a series, you must say chi (吃)out loud, which literally translates to “eat”! But keep in mind, that you can only chi when the tile you need was discarded by the former player on your left. The second type of combination is a triple, where you must have three identical tiles. The word peng (碰) is used to form a triple. After taking a tile, you must discard another to maintain a constant hand of 16 tiles. The last type of combination is a quadruple, where you have four identical tiles. By the lucky chance that you come across a quadruple, you must say gang (槓)out loud. The last rule to assembling a winning combination is an eye. An eye is a pair of identical tiles. Once you form 6 combinations, you should have a winning hand of 16 tiles. With these rules under your belt, you’ll be well on your way to beating all your Taiwanese friends at the next Chinese New Years party. (image source: Elys Muda) Growing up in a Taiwanese family, I vividly remember my grandparents sitting around a square table with their elderly, each staring intensely at a row of small, rectangular tiles for a whole afternoon. Even to this day, my grandparents still play at least a few times a week, if not daily. When I was a child, my mother used to forbid me from entering my grandparents’ so-called “mahjong room”, and her disapproval of the game was evident on her face. It was not the gambling aspect that bothered her; she would rather the elderly spend their time outdoors, taking in the fresh air, instead of wasting the afternoon away sitting at the mahjong table. However, my mother’s opinion on mahjong has since changed. A scientific study was done researching the effects of mahjong playing. According to doctors, mahjong and other card games could possibly help prevent dementia by keeping the brain active. The popularity of mahjong does not only lie with the elderly. Mahjong is much more than just a game or form of gambling to Taiwanese people. It is a centuries-old tradition, embedded deep into the roots of Chinese heritage. In many Taiwanese families, it is customary to play mahjong during Chinese New Year. Once their bellies are full after the big feast, the grandparents will settle down at the mahjong table with the other adults. Year after year, as the children grow up, they will gradually pick up the techniques and skills needed to master the game. Despite online games and other electronic devices taking the spotlight for modern entertainment, mahjong remains popular as ever. Recent adaptations have made the game even more accessible, with mobile APPs and online versions of mahjong becoming popular among teens and adults alike. Over the summer, I went on a road trip with a few of my college friends, and they made sure to pack a travel size set of mahjong tiles into their luggage. While technology seems to be replacing and transforming many forms of entertainment, mahjong will always hold a special place in Taiwanese people’s hearts. a
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May 2024
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