(LEX 18) — You may have seen mahjong in movies like Crazy Rich Asians, but now the 200-year-old tile game is attracting a new generation of fans right here in Kentucky.
One Lexington woman even turned her passion for mahjong into a side hustle, while inspiring others to join in on the fun.
"You can sit and have the same language of mahjong, so it brings grandmothers and granddaughters together," said Nicole Dorton, a mahjong instructor and owner of Bluegrass Mahj. "Moms, aunts, friends of all ages can play mahjong together."
As the Chinese game gains new fans all across the country, Dorton realized she could teach others all about it.
"I love mahjong," she told LEX 18. "it is such a fun game, and I saw a need for people to learn how to play. Traditionally mahjong was passed down by grandmas and aunts and moms teaching their daughters how to play, but now with a huge growth in popularity, there's been a demand for teachers to start teaching the game too."
Dorton comes to people's homes to teach them how to play.
"It's similar to cards in that the tiles have suits on them," she explained. "They come with numbers and Chinese characters, and your goal is to take your tiles in your hand and match them to a card that the National Mahjong League publishes every year."
New mahjong fans say they're hooked.
"I was just confused at first, but it enticed me," said Lea Ranier-Warner. "So I came home, started studying, YouTubing everything, and then I found Nicole. And I said, I gotta get a lesson, I gotta get a lesson with a real person."
The rules can seem complicated, but beginners can learn the basics in just a few hours.
"Your day is so crazy, and then you stop and play mahjong for a few hours, and you're just present," said Ranier-Warner.
Morgan Logan has hosted multiple mahjong parties.
"It's given us something to do, that's fun and competitive, and off your phone," she said. "I feel like Covid kinda lost that, where people weren't hanging out together."
But that's not the case with mahjong.
"You can sit at the mahjong table with your best friends, and have a great time, but you can also sit with perfect strangers, and you have the bond of a shared love of mahjong," said Dorton.
