World of the Bizarre

Divers play underwater mahjong in China

By T.K. Randall
August 25, 2013

Image: Mahjong Game
Credit: yui* / CC BY-SA 2.0 (adapted) As temperatures soared to 41 degrees in China this month, a new variation of the popular tile-based game mahjong has been hitting the headlines. Players with experience in scuba diving set up a table, chairs and a whole mahjong set at the bottom of a public swimming pool and played an entire game completely underwater.Unable to speak to one another, the participants resorted to holding up pieces of cardboard with markings drawn on them in order to communicate while playing. The tiles and furniture were also weighted to prevent them from floating upwards during the game.

"Playing mahjong underwater is for fun, and the real reason is to feel cool," one of the divers told a local newspaper. While footage of the intrepid group has proven popular in the region, some have questioned whether the whole thing is actually nothing more than a publicity stunt.




Tags: China, Mahjong