Myjong: infusing a Malaysian flavour into mahjong

Free Malaysia Today

Wong Kai Yi and Adrian Ng, co-founders of Myjong, aim to broaden mahjong’s appeal by incorporating local elements into the design of its traditional tiles.   Story by: Sheela Vijayan  Shot by: Afizi Ismail  Presented by: Theevya Ragu  Edited by: Andrea Edmonds   Read More:  https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/leisure/2025/02/18/duo-revitalises-mahjong-sets-with-unique-msian-twist/   Free Malaysia Today is an independent, bi-lingual news portal with a focus on Malaysian current affairs.    Subscribe to our channel - http://bit.ly/2Qo08ry   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  Check us out at https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com  Follow FMT on Facebook: https://bit.ly/49JJoo5  Follow FMT on Dailymotion: https://bit.ly/2WGITHM  Follow FMT on X: https://bit.ly/48zARSW  Follow FMT on Instagram: https://bit.ly/48Cq76h  Follow FMT on TikTok : https://bit.ly/3uKuQFp  Follow FMT Berita on TikTok: https://bit.ly/48vpnQG  Follow FMT Telegram - https://bit.ly/42VyzMX  Follow FMT LinkedIn - https://bit.ly/42YytEb  Follow FMT Lifestyle on Instagram: https://bit.ly/42WrsUj  Follow FMT on WhatsApp: https://bit.ly/49GMbxW  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  Download FMT News App:  Google Play – http://bit.ly/2YSuV46  App Store – https://apple.co/2HNH7gZ  Huawei AppGallery - https://bit.ly/2D2OpNP   #FMTLifestyle #Myjong #Malaysian #Mahjong

Transcript

00:00Fans of the film Crazy Rich Asians might recall the showdown between Michelle Yeoh and Constance Wu

00:09that unfolded over a game of Mahjong.

00:12Despite Mahjong's popularity globally, it is still often associated only with the Chinese community.

00:19I was thinking, is there any reason they are in this game?

00:22Or why is it only played by Chinese community?

00:25Because when I was a kid, we used to play so many different games, like Sing Chong Ka and what not.

00:31So it got me thinking, is it the Chinese elements, the Chinese characters in Mahjong that makes people feel it's really nice to see?

00:43So I was thinking, what if it's all the Malaysian people, different races, different cultures, could sit down together in the same table and play this game together?

00:54This inspired Wong Kai Yee and Adrian Ng to start Mahjong.

01:00Today, the duo craft stunning Mahjong sets using wood like cenggal, merbau, plywood and merbau with resin.

01:08They also design acrylic tiles.

01:11So I feel like wood, especially like chennao, it's very tropical wood, it's very Malaysian wood.

01:17So it really can bring out that Malaysian vibe.

01:21So in a traditional Mahjong, we have something we call the dots, which is the fengji in Chinese.

01:26And then how do we, in Mahjong version, we replace with the iconic Malaysian food.

01:33For example, for the number one, we have the cendol.

01:36And then number two, we have the curry puff.

01:39Number three, we have the pork chai.

01:41And then number four, we have the ketupat.

01:43And so on, we have like, kue lapis, the satay, the otah-otah, and then the tang yuen, and also the lopok.

01:53Some tiles feature the wau, lion's head, kolam and motifs representing Indian, Malay and indigenous cultures.

02:02So I think we came up with this heading because it's a short form of Malaysian Mahjong.

02:10The FMT Lifestyle team got an exclusive peek into how the duo craft their Cenggal and Merbau Mahjong sets.

02:18The intricate process includes laser engraving the designs onto the tiles,

02:23carefully sanding the tiles, applying a layer of varnish, then allowing the tiles to dry completely.

02:31In addition to selling the Mahjong sets, the duo also display them at exhibitions.

02:37At some of these exhibitions, they even teach visitors how to play Mahjong.

02:41And it gives them great pleasure seeing non-Chinese show interest in the game.

02:46We want people to, for non-Chinese, to really play this game, to understand this game,

02:55and picked up this game, because it's not, I don't want it to be really an exclusive game for Chinese,

03:01because it's not supposed to be like that.

03:04The scan intention is also to really highlight the multi-cultural, multi-diversity of Malaysian cultures,

03:14that you can put it into the game and make it more, to make it ours and show it to the world.

03:21For the full story on Mahjong and more, visit FMT and follow our socials.

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