美國人的新消遣方式 坐在公園裏搓麻將!大綱
Mahjong, which originated in China, has evolved to become a popular American pastime since it was introduced to the US in early 1920s.
自上世紀20年代傳入美國以來，起源於中國的麻將已演變成爲廣受美國人歡迎的消遣方式。
Every Monday and Thursday afternoon in Bryant Park, one of most illustrious public places in downtown New York City, with the clink of tiles and ignited outbursts from drawing an unlucky piece, mahjong lovers gather around the table to play the game.
布萊恩公園是紐約市中心最有名的公共場所之一。在這裏，每週一和週四下午，伴隨着麻將牌的碰撞聲和人們因摸到不合意的牌而大聲嚷嚷的聲音，麻將愛好者們圍坐在桌旁大殺四方。
This year marks the fourth year of the Mahjong area in Bryant Park.
今年是布萊恩公園麻將區運行的第四個年頭。
The Mahjong area now runs twice a week. On holidays there are even marathons with all kinds of ne can come to play and learn.
這一區域現在每週開放兩次。節假日甚至還會舉辦各種麻將馬拉松，任何人都可以來打麻將和學打麻將。
The National Mahjong League, which started with just 32 members when it was founded in 1937 to standardize the game, now "has 500,000 members, so it's very, very popular", according to Linda Fisher, Bryant Park's Mahjong area organizer.
布萊恩公園的麻將區組織者琳達·費希爾表示，致力於將麻將運動規範化的美國麻將聯盟成立於1937年，當時僅有32名會員。現在該聯盟已有50萬會員，這說明麻將非常、非常受歡迎。
Culturally, mahjong was important in Chinatown in the 1920s and 1930s, as it gave Chinese Americans a cultural bond at a time when many other Americans saw them as "perpetual foreigners".
從文化上來說，麻將在20世紀20年代和20世紀30年代的唐人街十分重要，因爲它在很多其他美國人視華裔美國人爲“永久的外人”之時，給了他們一個文化紐帶。
