Topline:
Every month, an event takes place in Monterey Park where young people and elders play mahjong together.
Backstory: The century-old Chinese game has gained a legion of younger fans and players in L.A. in the past few years. But Intergenerational Mahjong in Monterey Park is the only place that brings people of different ages together to play.
Read on ... to feel the vibe of the event on a recent Sunday morning.
The Langley Senior Center in Monterey Park is alive with the clash and bang of a thousand mahjong tiles. Anyone who has ever played the game knows of its deafening decibel levels, and on this Sunday morning, it easily drowns out the vintage Cantopop blasting meekly in the air as nearly 200 people gather around square tables to play, get better or learn the game.
The mood — at least to this Hong Konger who grew up learning the game while watching my mom and aunties play — feels just about right.
Welcome to Intergenerational Mahjong, the monthly series that brings together people of all ages, backgrounds and skill levels to play the timeless Chinese game under one roof.
"This is a game that everyone can come to the table and play," said Jaimie Wan, one of the organizers. "It doesn't matter if you're a kid or a senior citizen."
Intergenerational Mahjong kicked off earlier this year — as a kind of offshoot of Mahjong Underground, which holds games every Thursday night and on occasional Sundays at General Lee's bar in Chinatown.
It was at one of those soirees when the light bulb went off.
"I saw a family of cousins. They would bring their grandma to our event, and she'd stay 'til 10 or 11 p.m.," Wan said. "That just kind of sparked the idea of a place for people wanting to come together with their grandparents or their moms and dads."
On Sunday morning, I brought my mom to the Monterey Park event to answer that call. We circle around a bit before a seat is open — but before long, younger players start offering up their spots to my 78-year-old mom. Once she settles, it's a round of introductions, good-humored chitchat and game on.
Hailing from China, the more than century-old game is a cultural touchstone and a simple part of life for many living in Asia and the diaspora.
Over the past few years in Los Angeles, this pastime (where you can play for money or bragging rights or just for a marathon session of catching up and kvetching) has captivated a legion of young players who have started social clubs and events to explore the game, including Mahjong Mistress, Lucky Bamboo Mahjong Club, East Never Loses and LA Mahjong League.
"For me, I guess there's the cultural heritage because there is some kind of nostalgic elements to it," Finnegan Wong-Smith, behind Mahjong Underground, said. "Then, what I like about it is it's a good blend of strategy and luck."
Wong-Smith relaunched the club in its current incarnation last year. Coming out of the pandemic especially, he said people are looking for ways to connect.
" Our focus has been to be a consistent community and social place," Wong-Smith said. "It's been a lot of fun."
And it was through a mahjong club night where Wong-Smith met Wan, along with co-organizers Matthew Willard and Cayla Zhang.
To launch the free monthly Monterey Park event, Wan linked up with OCA-GLA, which already had received a grant to hold mahjong events at Langley Center. Intergenerational Mahjong reapplied for funding by partnering with the nonprofit Golden Guide to continue the series. Currently, the group is entirely volunteer-run, with donations like food and drinks from local businesses.
Intergenerational Mahjong, its organizers say, is the only series they are aware of with a multigenerational twist.
While the idea is to bring together the youths with the elders, who teaches whom is not always a given.
Andy Luong, a dual-language immersion elementary school teacher living in Rosemead, has come to Monterey Park with the intention to play.
" I speak Cantonese, I also speak Mandarin, and they, for those elders, it was their first time playing," Luong said. "So I was like, 'Oh, let me just help you.'"
Bee Pisuraj is standing against the wall, along with her boyfriend and friend. They drove up to the San Gabriel Valley from Ontario and Brea, respectively.
It's Pisuraj's second time ever playing. The first also was at the Monterey Park event.
" I got my butt kicked by the older ladies here, but it was really fun," she said. "I figured it would be a good activity for both my mom and I to do something together."
Her mom thought the game was too hard and too fast, but Pisuraj enjoyed the experience so much that she brought along her crew this time to try their hand. As soon as a table becomes available, the three take their positions. For the uninitiated, basic instructions on how to play are available at each table.
A happy bystander soaking in the joyful cacophony is Ocean Leung, who moved from Hong Kong to the San Gabriel Valley a few years ago. Even though she rarely plays, she missed the vibe.
"I always encourage the elders to play mahjong — not to gamble, but to exercise their brains," Leung said.
And the young folks?
"I'm a bit ashamed," she said. "They play so much better than us."
As to my mom, she didn't win any games, but her itch is scratched.
"Just to be able to touch a mahjong tile is amazing," she said.
Intergenerational Mahjong
Langley Center
400 W. Emerson Ave., Monterey Park
When: Oct. 19, 10 a.m. to noon