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Mahjong 'helps against work stress'
The survey was conducted during August 4th to 16th 2008 in Hong Kong by means of random phone calls and brief interviews in the streets. Six hundred people with ages over 18 responded to the survey. Survey results show that 55 percent of the respondents are mahjong players, and among them 55 percent are male. It implies that more than 50 percent of Hong Kong people know how to play mahjong, and mahjong players are mainly male. As for the similarities of mahjong and sports, more than 30 percent of the respondents express that both could help to alleviate their pressure and occupy their leisure time (37 percent), while some respondents regard mahjong as both a physical and mental practice (31.67 percent). Since 53.33 percent of the respondents belong to the age group of 25 to 45 years old, it indicates that most of the pressured working class in Hong Kong like to play mahjong for relaxation and maintaining relationships with family and friends, says WSoM. Relationships In addition, the survey also finds that there are more young mahjong players between the ages of 18 and 25 years old (23.33 percent) than senior players aged above 56 years old (10 percent). Furthermore, 20.33 percent of the respondents believe that both mahjong and sports could help to enhance peer relationship, while only 11 percent of the respondents regard both of them as a competitive means for obtaining benefits. Last but not least, 42 percent of the respondents support the idea to include the game of mahjong in the upcoming Olympics. Mental skills In addition to the survey, some local personalities have expressed their views on mahjong and sports. Registered Chinese Medicine Practitioner Mok Ying-Fan said that, although traditionally sports are a competition of physical strength, it also requires tough mental skills just as mahjong does. He thinks that mahjong is a cultural activity, full of inner wisdom that would help to promote traditional Chinese culture if it was featured in the Olympics. Mr. Alan Kwan Siu-Ho, mahjong scholar and author of the book “Zung Jung Mahjong Scoring System”, believes that mahjong is similar to chess which require lots of training and skill to master. The entertaining aspect of mahjong will definitely attract lots of audience if it is being featured in the Olympics. Mr. Hui Chung-Lai, champion of the first annual World Series of Mahjong, thinks that good health is a prerequisite for all kind of sports, and players must stay calm in order to achieve good results. He also hopes that there would not be any restriction on the age of participants if the game of mahjong is featured in the Olympics one day. Loose-fitting clothes In the meantime, the outfits for many athletes at the Olympics were tailor-made for their best performances. However, Mr. Mok Ying-Fan recommends mahjong players to wear loose-fitting clothes and avoid wearing tight outfits. The hands, the neck and the back should not be tightly covered by clothes. There are lots of blood vessels and nerves at human backs which provide oxygen and blood for the brain. Tight outfits will affect blood circulation, which in return affects our mental activities. Staying in the same body position for a long period of time will hurt the muscles and increase chances of apoplexy. In June this year, there were two Hong Kong people reported dead and injured as a result of playing non-stop mahjong games without any rest. Mahjong players are recommended to do body stretching once in an hour for better performance at the mahjong table. World Series The World Series of Mahjong was launched by World Mahjong Limited in 2006, and the tournament gathers top mahjong players from all over the world to vie for the biggest prize money - US$1.0 million - in the history of mahjong. The second annual World Series will be held again at Wynn Macau from September 19th to 21st, 2008. It is now open for registration at Cityline hotline (852) 3761-6600. Hong Kong audience could also enjoy the World Series TV program on NOW Broadband TV Channel 538 (Jia Yu Channel) from now until August 30th, 2008. Details about the event – registration, rules and regulations, etc – are available on the official website www.world-series-mahjong.com. Details about this year’s event at Wynn Macau – like registration, rules and regulations – are available on their official website.
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EMA cooperates with million dollar mahjong event in Macau
