On a warm summer evening, the backyard of a Melrose photo studio was transformed into a moody mah-jongg parlor with a Wong Kar Wai aesthetic. It was the latest party thrown by Mahjong Mistress, four friends who want to teach others to play the nostalgic game. Their mah-jongg parties, dubbed East Never Loses, are avant-garde scenes for Angelenos eager to embrace a game embedded in their heritage.
Attendees blended modern variations of traditional East Asian and Southeast Asian attire, like an unbuttoned sleeveless qipao worn as an overcoat. Numerous people sported merch from the fashion-forward ping-pong club Little Tokyo Table Tennis. There were a mix of newbies, like me, and those who had grown up watching family members play the game. I want to learn how to play too. K-pop fans gather at Los Angeles boba shops at cupsleeve events to find community and celebrate their favorite idols IRL.
Mah-jongg, long associated with the Chinese-speaking diaspora, or Sinodiaspora, has expanded to an audience beyond its country of origin. There are several ways to play this game with tiles; Japanese, Filipino and Cantonese styles each have their own rules. A Taiwanese style, which has been simplified for beginners, is taught at the East Never Loses parties.
Event organizers have simplified the rules to make it easier to play for beginners. The mistresses recruit volunteers like Eric Kwok to help them teach mah-jongg to the crowd, which varies from two dozen to three dozen players at a time. The year-old engineer wore mah-jongg-inspired earrings embossed with orchid and plum flowers as they hopped from table to table, offering guidance and encouragement. Fans have theories as to why the game is having a renaissance.
She loves to talk about how mah-jongg is often mischaracterized as an ancient game played by Chinese emperors when it was really invented in the mids.
