How learning to play mahjong helped a Chinese-American connect more deeply to her roots
Mahjong became a big part of Nicole Wong’s life after learning it in her 20s. Now she’s written a book on its rules across the Asian diaspora
The game of mahjong brings back nostalgic memories for many among the Chinese diaspora. Maybe they remember the unmistakable clacking sound of the tiles being shuffled, or their relatives yelling out “pong!” from across the room, excitedly claiming the tile they had been waiting for.
It is no different for Nicole Wong, who grew up around the game but never quite learned it herself until the summer after she graduated from university, in 2009.
At the time, she was staying at her New Zealand-Chinese paternal grandparents’ home in Dunedin, on New Zealand’s South Island. It was her first time visiting them for an extended period of time without her parents – and her grandparents decided that she, too, should join their lively, impassioned games of mahjong.
As they explained the rules and played game after game, she saw their personalities and competitive streaks come out in a way that was not apparent when they were just watching TV or cooking together.
“It felt special because I was seeing a different side of my grandparents,” Wong says.
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Learn to play mahjong in 2.5 minutes