Reporter's Note: Mahjong has become a popular pastime among Americans

Xinhua News Agency, New York, July 9 (Xinhua) -- Reporter's Note: Mahjong has become a popular pastime among Americans

Xinhua News Agency reporter Yang Shilong Li Tao

Every Monday and Thursday afternoon, in Bryan Park, located in the heart of Manhattan, New York, mahjong players slash and kill with the sound of mahjong cards colliding and the roar of the crowd. Originating in China, mahjong was introduced to the United States in the 1920s and is now a popular pastime among Americans.

The reporter saw in Bryan Park that Americans playing mahjong put a small card on the table. "This is the annual American Mahjong Rules Card released by the American Mahjong League," Linda Fisher, organizer of the mahjong district at Bryan Park, told reporters about the difference between Chinese mahjong and American mahjong.

Traditional Chinese mahjong has 144 cards, while American mahjong also has 8 ghost cards (wild cards). Fisher said that unlike the inherent "touch", "bar" and "eat" play method of Chinese mahjong, the American Mahjong League replaces the mahjong rules card every year to list new mahjong combinations that can score and win to keep it interesting.

The American Mahjong League, which is dedicated to standardizing the sport of mahjong, was founded in 1937 with only 32 members and has grown to 500,000 people. "It's enough to show the popularity of mahjong sports." Fisher said.

"Although mahjong was introduced to the United States in the 20th century, Americans have been enthusiastic about other outdoor projects until recent years, when they regained popularity," Larry Angler, vice president of the American Mahjong League, told the Chicago Tribune. "According to incomplete statistics, there are about 500,000 people between the ages of 20 and 30 in the United States, and most of them women."

The United States is a country of immigrants, and mahjong plays an important role in the development of American culture. A study by Annalise Heinz while studying for her Ph.D. in history at Stanford University showed that both Jewish-Americans and Chinese-Americans consolidated their communities through hemp in the 20th century.

Unlike other forms of leisure, mahjong requires cooperation and strategy among card friends, which "creates an ideal platform for people to communicate with each other". On a cultural level, Heinz said, in the 1920s and 1930s, mahjong was important in Chinatown in the United States, becoming a "cultural bond" between Chinese and local Americans.

Heinz found that in the decades after World War II, hemp would be the foundation of community building among Jewish women in the United States. As many families moved out of the lively city center after the war, they felt isolated in the suburbs, and young Jewish mothers turned to mahjong as a way to build a new social network.

Unger analyzes the reasons for the resurgence of mahjong: fun, thinking and suitable for community activities, and mahjong is a good reason to bring everyone together on a regular basis.

This year is the fourth year that bryan Park's mahjong district is running, open twice a week, and there are even various mahjong marathons on holidays where everyone can participate.

"This movement is growing in popularity. Last Labor Day, about 50 people came here to play mahjong, and they all came through word of mouth or saw messages on social media, and some even rushed from Florida. Fisher said.

Mahjong is also a good way for the elderly to get out of the house and build new friendships. "We live in New Jersey and came over today specifically to play mahjong," told reporters a mahjong enthusiast named Barney, whose team will participate in the Mahjong World Championships in Las Vegas in September this year.

"We were fascinated by social events like sitting together, talking and playing." Barney said.