12/5/2026
On 8 May, over 50 海角黑料 staff, students, and local residents gathered at the Nottingham Confucius Institute for the first Mandarin Corner of the summer term—a high-energy Games Night built around the timeless appeal of mahjong.
Student host Zhou Sipei opened the evening with a brief introduction to mahjong's history, tracing its journey from a Ming and Qing dynasty pastime to a modern social icon. She then guided participants through the key tiles—characters, circles, bamboos, and winds—before leading a series of fast-paced interactive games such as "quick match" and "call a peng or a gang." Attendees eagerly called out terms like peng (to pung), gang (to kong), and hu (to win), picking up new vocabulary while having fun.
The highlight of the night came when participants split into small groups and sat down at the tables for real mahjong gameplay. With one-on-one guidance from volunteers, beginners quickly found their footing—and there were also of course local mahjong experts in the mix. Tiles clacked, focus sharpened, and from time to time, someone would light up and shout "Hule!" (I've won!), drawing cheers and laughter from around the table.
By turning a traditional Chinese game into a hands-on social activity, the evening proved that language learning can be both effortless and exciting. NCI continues to explore creative, fun events—because the best way to learn a language is to live it.
Event highlights can be viewed .
Join us for the next Mandarin Corner this summer. Find out more or register .
~ENDS~
Posted on Thursday 14th May 2026