Mahjong boom among younger Western players lifts Chinese factories
Mahjong is attracting younger players in the US and UK, with Chinese factories running at full capacity to supply colourful sets for Western markets.
How it was covered
- ITV was the only channel found covering it.
- Channel 5, BBC News, BBC One, BBC Two, Channel 4, GB News and Sky News: not found in tracked broadcasts.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story. Facts only one channel reported are attributed to it.
Mahjong, the Chinese parlour game dating back to the early 1800s, is enjoying a worldwide boom, with growing numbers of younger players in the US and UK taking it up. The game is no longer seen as something lodged at the back of the games cupboard. Players are drawn to a mix of luck, memory, strategy and the need for a poker face.
In a small town in eastern China, a factory has been working at full capacity to meet demand. Chinese manufacturers have responded with colourful sets designed for Western markets, and one workshop had just finished shipping its Christmas orders. Li Mingzhe spotted the trend while working at Alibaba, the online retailer. He quit to set up his own Mahjong factory. He said there was potential not only in the United States but also across Europe, the UK, Australia, the Middle East and Southeast Asia.
Celebrity exposure has helped raise the game's profile, including its appearance in Crazy Rich Asians and Meghan Markle showing her skills in a Netflix series. Mahjong has had a following in the West for decades, but the new crowd is different. Younger players are using it to socialise away from screens.
In London, a club has been sold out since it began Thursday night games four months ago. Organisers said many Gen Z and younger players come because they are tired of being alone at home and want a social activity that is not just going out for a drink. One player said Mahjong is less familiar than chess as a strategy game but they are enjoying it. The growing scene has given a new meaning to a night on the tiles.
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |
|---|---|
| Only on one channel | |
| A factory in eastern China is operating at full capacity to meet demand linked to a Mahjong craze. | |
| A London club has been sold out since it began Thursday-night games four months ago. | |
| Li Mingzhe left Alibaba to start his own Mahjong factory after spotting the trend. | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
ITV News at Ten gave the story a light, end-of-bulletin treatment, mixing the social appeal for young players with the commercial response in Chinese factories. It used celebrity references and a sold-out London club to show the game's new image, while also visiting a factory and hearing from a new manufacturer.
- “An addiction that is sweeping our nation that I wanted to talk about, and that addiction is Mahjong.”
- “There's a lot of Gen Z and the younger generation coming in, and a lot of them just say they're sick of being alone at home, they want to come out for something social that isn't just going out for a drink.”
- “Suddenly there is a whole new meaning to a night on the tiles.”
Who was on air
People and organisations each channel put on air while covering this story. Channels' own presenters and reporters are not listed. Names as transcribed, and the list can miss people.
- 22:28 BST
Li Mingzhe, spotted the trend while he was working at Alibaba
ITV News at Ten · Fri 23 Oct
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.