Xiao Han

Mahjong House

My latest project, Mahjong House, aims to combine art creation and research based on Chinese community history in Saskatoon. By listening and talking historical stories through Mahjong activity, this project delivers an entertainment tradition through a gallery space.

“I grew up in Wuhan, a city with a strong culture of Mahjong playing. Every afternoon, my grandparents would go to the mahjong house and spend their time with friends in the neighborhood. Mahjong is a gambling game and fits for chatting during the holiday when family and friends visit.When the pandemic starts in Wuhan 2020, it was the Chinese New Year break. My family and friends in Wuhan were restricted in their apartment. They are quarantined from each other, neither gathering for new year's dinner nor playing Mahjong. The disconnection with family and friends increases the fear and loneness.I realize how vital the role that Mahjong plays in the community and culture. How such activity cultivates among the Chinese Canadian. I start this research aiming to find out the meaning of entertainment activities among the immigrants’ communities connected by Mahjong. Do early Chinese immigrants able to entertain themselves with Mahjong? How did early Chinese worker translate Mahjong into English language? What was the conversation during the early time of the century? I hope this project can make the Chinese immigrant history more impactful and completed by cultivating connections with the community. ”