This social club invites everyone, including newbies, to play mahjong
At Mahjong Maven Club, it's not just titos and titas playing mahjong; it's folks of all ages.
During the pandemic, siblings Sheena, Sharlene, and Siegfried Lim spent the lockdown bonding by getting the tiles out. Mahjong was their family's favorite bonding activity. Their paternal grandfather is even a mahjong master who would play weekly in Binondo with friends.
"[Mahjong] was one of the things that kept us sane," Sheena told PhilSTAR L!fe.
From this, the siblings started their own brand, Mahjong Maven, and created an automatic, portable machine for playing the game anywhere.
"Then our mom actually told us, 'Why don't you go out and teach other people, teach other generations how to play mahjong, how to bond with their own families?'" Siegfried shared. Thus, a social club with gatherings for playing the game was born.
'The new going out'
On June 12, the Mahjong Maven Club held its first event called "Tiles and Tonic." People from different generations gathered around tables to play the beloved game and share some drinks while they were at it.
"Typically with our major nights, we partner with restaurants, bars, or anyone who wants to connect with us and then we start sending invites to basically anyone," Siegfried shared.
Attendees range from the youth to the elderly, Filipinos, foreigners, and the Filipino-Chinese community.
"We don't really restrict our events to a specific target—both beginners and mavens, if you will, all of them came at their own discretion naman," Siegfried continued, adding that the more experienced players teach newbies to the game.
Their social club is beginner-friendly—60% to 90% of those joining are novices. In fact, not knowing how to play becomes a conversation starter.
"The beginners meet the more experienced ones, and they would ask [how] to play mahjong," Sheena shared.
"It's a very chill na setup and actually we were surprised how responsive the crowd is to our event because we thought of doing this before like maybe once a quarter," she added. Initially, they started their events to market their portable and automatic machine.
From once a quarter, the Mahjong Maven club began to meet once a month, and now, once every other week. About 40 to 50 people join their events, which do not involve any form of gambling.
"There's this like a community, like I teach you, you teach me, we connect. [There's] a communal relationship that's happening every night. People can change tables if they want to mingle with other people, if they want to meet new people," Siegfried said.
He further described the activity as free-flowing. The club is basically just the siblings encouraging others to go out, have fun playing mahjong, enjoy the night, and meet new people.
A mental stimulator and connection builder
Mahjong is a strategy game with over 40 iterations across the world. According to the book Mahjong: A Chinese Game and the Making of Modern American Culture by Annelise Heinz, the activity dates back to the mid 1800s toward the end of the Qing Dynasty in Southern China.
For the siblings, it's more than a game. Sheena sees it as the most effective mental stimulator.
"It's like a game that helps with our memory. And it's also a game [that] cultivates gathering and conversation," she said, sharing that sometimes their events last up to six to eight hours.
Mahjong Maven Club events also range from friendly games to more competitive ones. Different styles—from Taiwanese to Filipino and Hong Kong—are welcome, as well.
For Sharlene, mahjong brings people of all ages together. "You could play with a younger generation versus an older generation. It's actually a good way to connect both generations. It's like bringing tradition alive again and cultivating the relationships between them."
Sharlene bonded with her maternal grandmother, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's for almost 10 years, through mahjong.
"I got closer to her through the game. [We] just exchanged life experience [...] life is the same, you share experiences with one another and I get to gain wisdom from it. I get to learn skills from her, and for her, she can feel valued [and] energized," she shared. "For me, that game actually meant more than just tiles. It kind of like just brings memories together, and you could create long-lasting memories more."
Nearly a year after its first event, Mahjong Maven Club has evolved beyond what the siblings first intended it to be.
"A lot of relationships, not just between our communities, but us personally and our community have strengthened a lot, and we have bonded so much that we have met, created new friends, and reconnected with old friends," Sharlene said.
How to join
Want to play mahjong and join a community? Mahjong Maven Club holds an event regularly—just be sure to follow them on Instagram for updates. While their gatherings have online registration beforehand, they are also welcoming walk-ins.
Their next event, their Chinese New Year celebration, is set for Feb. 8 in Dasmariñas Village in Makati. The siblings shared that it's going to be their biggest event yet, as they partnered with DVA to create a gathering with dimsum, bubble tea, and other snacks while you play mahjong.
