Why the mahjong scene in "Crazy Rich Asians" is so important
Warning: Spoiler alert! Do not proceed if you have not yet watched "Crazy Rich Asians."
If you've seen "Crazy Rich Asians," you know one of the film's biggest moments takes place around a mahjong table. What you may not know, however, is how inextricably tied the action is to the conversation between Rachel, Nick's girlfriend, and Eleanor, Nick's mom.
Bourree Lam, senior editor of work and money at Refinery29 and a mahjong enthusiast, talked to CBSN about why the mahjong scene in "Crazy Rich Asians" is so important. Lam unpacked the moment when Rachel, played by Constance Wu, draws a tile that would give her a winning hand, but chooses to discard it, knowing Eleanor, played by Michelle Yeoh, will use it to win — all thanks to Rachel.
"This is the big reveal that's mirrored in the game of mahjong," she explained. "Rachel draws a tile in mahjong. It's a set-building game; it's very much like poker, so you can draw a card that gives you the win. So Rachel draws the win, but instead of winning, she lets Eleanor have [the winning tile], and so that mirrors the dialogue because what she tells Eleanor in that moment is, 'Your son has proposed to me, but because I don't want him to lose his relationship with his mother, I am going to say no and in the future, when he marries someone you think is appropriate, you're going to remember that that's because of me.'"
The scene is full of allegory, with Eleanor taking the dealer's seat — the east seat of the table — representing the traditional values of Singapore, while Rachel sits in the west seat, representing America. Eleanor tells Rachel she's not an appropriate match for her son because she is American, not "our kind of people." While she is saying this, Eleanor collects matching tiles of the same kind, again signifying that she wants to extend her family with more of her "kind of people."
Lam said it was especially meaningful for "Crazy Rich Asians" to include the mahjong scene because of the deep ties the game has to Chinese people all over the world.
"Mahjong is a national pastime for all Chinese people everywhere, not just in China, but also the Chinese diaspora," she said. "It's a game that brings families together. It's also a game that touches all sectors of society, so blue collar workers play the game but you also hear stories like in 'Lust, Caution' of women who wear their best diamonds so that when they shuffle the tiles, they glitter."
Lam, who has been covering Asian-American representation for Refinery29, said she's hopeful about the future of representation on screen.
"I think it's huge," she said, pointing out that a sequel for "Crazy Rich Asians" is already in the works. "You're really seeing the gatekeepers pay attention to this box office win."
"Crazy Rich Asians" is in theaters now.
