My Mahjong story.
I'm in my mid-50s, getting close to 60 years of age.
We'd played Mahjong for as long as I can remember. We played when we were kids. Mum and Dad had a set, the tiles were blue and it came in a green plastic box. But my grandmother had a bamboo and ivory set that we also used to play on. My parents must have taught us. My grandmother and grandfather taught my parents when they were in their twenties.
Before he passed away I asked Dad about how, as we aren't Chinese, how on earth did Mahjong come into the family? By the timeline, it must have been the late 1950s or early 1960s that they started playing. Mum married Dad in 1968 and they'd already been playing by then. Dad said that one of my grandfather's workmates had bought the set around to their house at Sandgate. His name was Clarrie Williams who was from Zillmere. My understanding is they'd met as wharfies. According to Dad, that's when they all started playing together and it became something the family did.
Once I hit my mid-twenties (1990s) we'd stopped playing as a family. We all had gone to uni, got jobs, started families, moved houses and then cities. We played cards more than anything by that time. Once my sisters moved away from Brisbane, there was no one to play with. Then of course screens came and most of the game playing stopped.
I had possession of Nan's set for a few years. One sister had it originally and passed it on to me, but one Christmas I left it at my other sister's and she ended up taking it with her when she moved to Cairns. I had also bought another set from Chinatown in Sydney - a bamboo and bone one - probably 15 years ago.
But still... we didn't play. It was frustrating because I've wanted to start playing again, but didn't know anyone else who played it AND I couldn't remember parts of the game.
Then a few years ago I heard about Mahjong at Mitchelton library. Mum and I went along. They played twice a week during the day. We recognised what they played but it was slightly different. They didn't play with 'pretties' which is what our family called seasons and flowers. They said their version was 'Chinese'. Then I found out about the Brisbane Mahjong group at Garden City Library on a Tuesday evening, must easier to go to after work! We went along and realised that the version we knew was probably Hong Kong Mahjong. Though Mum recently said that there were slightly different rules - so who knows what they were playing back then. For example, we used to play pairs, but found out in our last game of the year, that 7 pairs was a winning hand in Riichi Mahjong!
But now that we are part of the Brisbane Mahjong group, we have committed firmly to learning more about Mahjong Hong Kong style. I know it will take years, but I'm determined to learn as much as I can. I want to master scoring and get better at game strategy. I've been watching videos, attending each Tuesday evening. I've also made some initial flash cards to take while I'm playing to help me remember directions, and some small tokens to help me learn the winds - the symbols as well as the Cantonese names.
A few friends have said they want to learn so I want to make sure we are doing it 'right' from the start. I've pulled this little site together to help me locate the videos I keep coming back to. I find that playing on a Tuesday evening then watching videos in-between has been really helpful. This practice and study feel like I'm reigniting some muscle memory from last century. I also want to be able to share the videos and resources with friends who are also on their learning journey too. For me, the more folks who start playing, the more we can enjoy it together.
I enjoy Mahjong partly because of it's brief connection with my family and childhood history. It's a small link back to my grandparents. I do also like the social element of meeting new people. Each Tuesday we play with new folks. But also, importantly, Mahjong is fantastic brain exercise. For 3 or so hours each week you have to 100% concentrate on what's in front of you. It's tiring and fantastic.
It probably seems weird to make a whole site for a hobby, but this will help me keep everything together, AND helps me share.
If I've gotten anything incorrect on the pages, or you have other resources that might be of use to friends, please feel free to send them along.
I always look forward to feedback. Learning is forever.
Thanks, Leesa