My Chinese parents immigrated to the US in the 2000s. They settled at Quincy, Massachusetts, joining a large Chinese diaspora. They took little from China and struggled to adapt to the foreign language, land, and culture while missing parts of their traditions. However, Mahjong was one of the things they never left behind.  Mahjong is a traditional Chinese tile game with four players using 136 tiles. It includes three suits—sticks, dots, and Chinese numbers—numbered one to nine, each with 36 tiles, plus seven other suit types with four tiles each. Players draw and discard one tile each turn, also using moves like pong, chow, and kong. The goal is four sets of three (either identical or sequential in the same suit) and one pair.  Lying in bed, mixing tiles accompanied me to sleep. Growing older, I watched and learned while staying up late. If lucky, I played a few hands. Slowly, I realized the importance of Mahjong. It represented my parents’ Chinese identity and also became a part of mine as well. This iconic table hosted family events where plates of ribs, wings, and sausages were rested upon, kids ran around, and Mahjong was played atop. It gave comfort, laughter, and belonging in a foreign, novel, and often uncertain country. Mahjong bridged connections between generations while foregoing the need for phones. It was a slice of familiarity in times of joy, unpredictability, and even death–a vessel for connectivity and vulnerability.

– Kevin Cai

Relationship:  Child of im/migrant Child of im/migrant