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Wall Street Journal 23 Jun 2026 50 here now

Why a $1,000 Mahjong Set Takes 10 Days to Make | WSJ Coveted

Mahjong is experiencing a widespread resurgence in the U.S., driving demand for the game to unprecedented heights. Halfway across the world, however, the painstaking craft of hand-carving mahjong tile

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there's nothing like the sound of mahjong tiles... say that when you are trying to sleep next door
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This was fascinating!!!
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Asked my mom and uncles to teach me. Got my peers to start playing from time to time. We haven’t gone around the full table with all the winds like our parents did when they would play until 4 am just yet
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@alee7027 From YouTube ↗ 30 Jun 2026 22
0:19 Thanks for keeping Hong Kong Cantonese here ❤
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i have no idea how the game works, but i’d shuffle those tiles all over the table all day
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I play richii and I find that fun
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Inaccurate history. Mahjong started with cards played by Chinese sailors during the Qing dynasty, before it evolved to tiles because the cards were blown by the wind. WSJ needs to fact check.
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@tlll8590 From YouTube ↗ 30 Jun 2026 1
Interesting and thanks. I played thousand times but knew how to make it exactly until now.
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I played solitaire mahjong for years on the computer at school, I couldn’t imagine having a tangible set! 😂
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I hope that one day Mahjong becomes big in the US. It really is a vestige of the past that I hope gets passed down.
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@jasonyau326 From YouTube ↗ 30 Jun 2026 141
Wait till the foreigners discover the automatic Mahjong Tables that mix (wash) and set the tiles for you! yes they do exist! 😅🤣😂😉
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I recently got into Mahjong by taking a Riichi (Japanese Mahjong) lesson at a parlor called Setting Sun in Virginia Beach. I loved it! Followed it up by learning American Mahjong from a local Facebook group gathering. I already got a budget traditional set from Yellow Mountain imports and now an American set from Walmart from Maison Lude. I've seen this game show up from time to time my whole life and am excited to finally be learning. 谢谢中国! 🎉
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@bierhoff15 From YouTube ↗ 30 Jun 2026 242
She's a collector but didn't know what the game was until Sept 2025?
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@KaradaMiki From YouTube ↗ 30 Jun 2026 51
Surprised to see mahjong is this popular in the US. Here in Japan it's as ubiquitous as baseball. I mean even if you don't play the game most dudes know at least the rules. And tons of jargons are ingrained in the Japanese language. Like the word "chon-bo" (blunder) I kept hearing every time you screwed something. Way later I found out it comes from mahjong (冲和 chōnghuo)
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I really hope that the hand carving & painting tradition will survive. 🤞🤞🤞
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@Shax117 From YouTube ↗ 30 Jun 2026 15
I used to sub for my mom when she went on a restroom break. I picked up a lot during those times.
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@CMally From YouTube ↗ 30 Jun 2026 27
I was lucky enough to have bought a hand carved set from the uncle in 0:25 back in February.His store is Biu Kee Mahjong in Hong Kong
Got it shipped to Australia. I encourage you all to buy a hand carved set from the people who are keeping the tradition alive (Not these machine made pink sets!)
My grandpa taught me how to play Mahjong, now I'm teaching my husband and my future kids!
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6:50 thought she was some kind of expert. But she literally only know about it for 10 months
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@AzureRook From YouTube ↗ 30 Jun 2026 199
I had no idea American Mahjong was even a thing
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@zsciaeount From YouTube ↗ 30 Jun 2026 146
She seems serious about the game, but wouldn't it have made more sense to focus on someone who has been playing the game for more than a year?