Where trend meets tradition

Originally Chinese, mahjong was embraced by Jewish women in 1930s New York, shaping the American version still played today — including at the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston.

• Versions like Cantonese, Taiwanese and American each have distinct rules — all played by four people, often with gambling elements.

Zoom in: The Chinese Community Center in Houston is seeing a rise in mahjong participants, too.

• After a successful AAPI Heritage Month game event in May, the center began hosting monthly beginner meetups using the Taiwanese version and is now adding bimonthly club sessions for more experienced players, CCC development manager Jo Truong tells Axios.
• The most recent meetup hit capacity with 40 players across 10 tables — only four of whom were CCC members. Entry is $35, and the event gained traction through a "very active" Facebook mahjong group sharing the invite.

What they're saying: Lynn Chou, who started playing at age 6, now teaches alongside friends at the CCC and says attendees have ranged from young children to a 100-year-old.

• "We grew up with this game … So it's kind of a family tradition," Chou says. "It's a fun game, so I'm very happy about the trend."

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