Every Monday night, a small group of IU students gather at the Asian Culture Center to participate in the classic Chinese tile game of mahjong. Players of all backgrounds come together to celebrate their culture, remind them of home or simply try something new.
“We get a good mix of people who have played and people who are complete newbies,” sophomore Jason Tang said. “It’s nice to have an event where we’re branching out Asian culture to people who wouldn’t traditionally encounter it.”
Tang runs the game nights for the center and encourages anyone interested in learning to join. He learned to play last semester when he attended one of the weekly events.
For Tang, mahjong is more than just a game — it’s a way to embrace his heritage.
As a first-generation Chinese American, he said he often struggles with understanding his cultural identity. Playing mahjong allows him to strengthen ties to his roots.
“Children of immigrants in the U.S. is like living in that weird grey area of not being able to fully connect to American culture but also their own,” he said. “Something as simple as learning mahjong is like another step closer, reconnecting to that side.”
Although mahjong originated in China, there are several variations of the game that exist worldwide. At the ACC, players use Japanese rules, also known as Riichi mahjong.
On Monday, four students, including Tang, sat around the culture center’s new mahjong table greeting one another. As they socialized, the players assembled their tiles and started the game.
To win in Riichi mahjong, players must create a hand with four sets — each consisting of either three identical tiles or a sequence — and one pair. Master’s student Sang Teng Chhim won the first game.
Chhim, an international student from Cambodia, is in his first semester at IU studying public affairs. He grew up in a Cambodian Chinese household but didn’t learn to play mahjong until he was an undergraduate student at Monash University in Australia. After he graduated, he temporarily forgot how to play but quickly regained his skills at the ACC.
“I find it fascinating how the game came to be and how it’s played,” he said. “Engaging with the game I guess also feels integral to my identity.”
He has attended every Mahjong Monday this semester and plans to continue for the rest of the school year.
Freshman Zoe Huels, a Mahjong beginner, won the second round.
“It’s simple,” she said. “I’ve played a lot of card games recently, so it felt different, but the way Jason (Tang) explained it with the suits made is pretty relatable.”
She said the bamboo, numbers and directions on the tiles are similar to the hearts, spades and diamonds on a deck of cards.
Huels’ friend, Reanne Grooms, another freshman and beginner, won the third round.
Though neither Huels nor Grooms are of Asian descent, both said they are eager to attend more events at the ACC.
This was the pair’s second time at Mahjong Mondays, and like Chhim, they’ve made it a tradition to come for the rest of the year.
For newcomers, Tang said to expect a welcoming environment and a chance to find a judgment-free community.
"There's no pressure, whether you've played before or not. Every single person has started from ground zero," he said. "Just because someone doesn’t have Asian roots or isn’t familiar with aspects of Asian culture, they shouldn’t shy away from expanding their horizons and trying new things."
Mahjong Mondays will continue from 5:30-7 p.m. throughout the semester at the ACC, located at 807 E. 10th St.
