The tiles shuffle and clack, and the world slows down for a moment. Players lean in, sharing silence, rivalry, and camaraderie in a game that feels timeless. This is Mahjong, a game of strategy and ritual, played between four people and a set of 144 intricately marked tiles.
An old-world tradition in China , the game started as a pastime for Chinese grandparents in the mid-19th century, but its regional variations now serve as a great inspiration for Hong Kong’s cocktail menus or foster community pastime in the US. In San Francisco, mahjong nights draw young crowds to bars and restaurants. In fact, there’s been a 179% rise in mahjong events in the US from 2023 to 2024, as per popular ticketing app Eventbrite.
Mahjong is now having an unexpected renaissance in India too. From private re