Chao lights a cigarette and prepares for the next round. He is determined to turn his luck around, but he knows it will take some endurance. This will be an attention demanding battle that could last many hours. "It's exhausting," Chao admits. "But if you win, it is really rewarding."
A centuries-old Chinese game once played only by aristocrats, mahjong is firmly entrenched in modern-day Taiwan. It gained popularity on the island after the Nationalist government arrived in 1949, beginning as a major leisure activity in the neighborhoods set up for military families from mainland China. Eventually, it spread into other communities as well. The game is especially popular at holiday get-togethers, although for some aficionados it is part of the weekly schedule.
Hsu Wen-hua (許文華), 68, remembers that when her family first came to Taiwan from Shanghai, they had little contact with the local community. In isolation, they turned to the mahjong table. "In Shanghai, my family played mahjong mainly on Chinese New Year and on festival days or other celebrations," Hsu says. "But in Taiwan, it has become a regular habit." Hsu now plays two or three afternoons a week, either at her home or a friend's. "Winning doesn't matter much to me," she says. "Meeting with friends is the main reason for playing."
There are countless stories of people becoming so involved in mahjong that they neglect their families or jobs. Chao, a 31-year-old Taipei real estate agent, remembers disliking the game as a child. "My mother spent so much time playing that I was often left alone," he says. "In protest, I would throw the tiles out the window or into the trash can." Later, however, Chao also discovered the game's irresistible charm. "It's been a regular pastime since junior high school," he says. "I don't like outside activities. I would rather stay at home and play mahjong with friends or relatives."
The basic principle of the game is to draw and discard tiles until one player gets five sets of three tiles each, plus a pair of matching tiles. The sets can be either three consecutive numbers in the same suit, or three matching tiles. Mahjong has three suits: bamboo, circles, and wan (meaning 10,000). In addition, there are tiles for the four winds, labeled north, south, east, and west; green dragon and red dragon tiles; and tiles of various patterns representing the four seasons and four types of flowers or plants.
A mahjong game is usually played by four people and consists of many short rounds, the number of which are agreed upon before the game starts. Mahjong etiquette forbids anyone to drop out before the agreed number of rounds have been played. Extending a game, however, is quite acceptable, and there are stories of mahjong games going on for days.
There are other informal rules as well. For example, mahjong players are expected always to arrive on time for a game, never to throw tiles, not to hesitate when discarding a tile, and not to withdraw a tile that one has just discarded. Finally, players must not leave the table in an attempt to change their luck.
Much of the appeal of mahjong, experts say, is that luck is the most decisive factor. But many players also find it a challenging exercise for the mind as they try to memorize the tiles that have been played and avoid discarding tiles that another person needs to win. Since a mahjong set has 144 tiles, keeping track of them all can be a tough mental task. "It stimulates thinking and a fighting spirit," Chao says.
To many enthusiasts, the noisy atmosphere is an essential ingredient of mahjong. A typical game is punctuated by spirited remarks on the action, continuous gossip, and, of course, the all-important clatter of tiles. While some people try to cut down on the noise by putting a rubber band around each piece, most players deliberately avoid this invention. "Much of the excitement of the game," Chao says, "comes from the sound of mixing the tiles before each round begins."
Another exciting element is the money that is inevitably involved. "We are friends, so we only play for small stakes," Chao says. "But it adds a lot of fun to the game." In fact, mahjong has traditionally been directly associated with gambling, which is why it was technically illegal until about two years ago. Even today, although the law allows mahjong in private homes, it is often undertaken discreetly, with curtains closed and the lights dimmed. Many people don't seem to realize that it is now legal, or perhaps they simply like the idea of it being illegal - another way to add to the excitement.