Culture and Leisure

Joy, luck chase in mahjong clubs

by Hilda Wong

In a gloomy, narrow alley alongside the hectic Tung Choi Street in Mong Kok,
there is the wide entrance of mahjong club KC. City. Taking an escalator up, visitors come to a bright reception counter with modern decor of crystal-like strings on the wall, which is next to two restaurants.

Opposite to the restaurants, another escalator leads up to quiet corridors lined with more than 20 private rooms in which customers play mahjong, a tile game with four players.

"I used to think that mahjong clubs were the same as mahjong parlours, which are very noisy, stuffy and smoky with mahjong tables being closely packed together in a hall," university student Gary Tsang Siu-hin said.

The 19-year-old Tsang, who has visited mahjong clubs for a few times, said he found those amusement premises were quiet and safe, contrary to popular belief.

To many Chinese people, mahjong is part of their culture. They play at home,
at traditional birthday parties or wedding banquets, but seldom in mahjong parlours where they have to play with strangers in a hall.

However, mahjong clubs like KC. City have upgraded their facilities and services to provide more privacy and to try to win more customers including the young.

Facing competition from a growing number of rivals in recent years, KC. City,
which was established 20 years ago as a mahjong recreation premises, has
transformed itself into a new-style club.

"It is well-equipped and provides young people with a private area," said Mike Li Chi-chung, managing director of Empire Production, the club's public relations agent.

The club now has more than 20 branches across the city with modern and
trendy-looking rooms in three theme colours of brown, black and white. The
rooms were designed by professional hotel designers, Li said.

Young customers who like to go to mahjong clubs said they could have
privacy in the rooms where they could do whatever they want. Annie Lo On-yee, 19, said she sometimes played noisily and teasingly. "When my friends sik wu (win the game) with high score, we will throw the mahjong tiles to them," she said.

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