Why is everyone suddenly playing mahjong? From neighborhood meetups to viral social media posts, interest in the game is growing fast. This episode explores mahjong's history, its roots in the Chinese diaspora and the ways families and communities have carried traditions across generations. Through a night of learning Filipino-style mahjong in San Diego, we look at how the game has become a way for people to make friends, connect with culture and spend time together away from their screens.

Guests:

• James Gutierrez, No Ambition Tile Club co-founder
• Nicole Wong, creator and founder of The Mahjong Project, author of "Mahjong: House Rules from Across the Asian Diaspora"

Sources:

• History is repeating itself (Nicole Wong, The Mahjong Project, 2026)
• What the Surprising History of Mah-jongg Can Teach Us About America (Cady Lang, TIME, 2021)
• Mahjong, American Modernity, and Cultural Transnationalism (Annelise Marie Heinz, Stanford Digital Repository, 2015)
• Some Gen Z American can't stop 'Chinamaxxing' (Ashish Valentine, NPR, 2026)