Weeks before the premiere of Hallmark Channel’s newest feel-good rom-com, “All’s Fair in Love & Mahjong,” controversy erupted on social media over promotional photos for the movie, which stars a jam-packed cast of Hallmark fan-favorites: Paul Campbell, Fiona Gubelmann, Tamera Mowry-Housley, Yan-Kay Crystal Lowe, and Melissa Peterman.
Critics quickly noted that Lowe was the only lead character of Asian descent in a movie centered around a popular game rooted in Chinese tradition and culture, per Entertainment Weekly, which also noted the premiere on May 9, 2026, occurs during Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. But in a new interview, Lowe said the movie both honors the tradition she grew up with and invites “everybody else to the table.”
Yan-Kay Crystal Lowe Says Growing Popularity of Mahjong is ‘Incredible’
According to Hallmark’s movie synopsis, “All’s Fair in Love & Mahjong” is about a school nurse, played by Gubelmann, who “finds unexpected hope through teaching mahjong, the centuries‑old Chinese game, that helps her build community and open her heart again.”
The Chinese tile game was first introduced in the U.S. in the 1920s, per NPR, but its popularity has exploded over the last year — particularly among those playing the American adaptation of the game. The movie features the version developed and overseen by the National Mah Jongg League, Inc.
HallmarkIn response to social media concerns about potential cultural appropriation in “All’s Fair in Love & Mahjong,” Hallmark told Entertainment Weekly in a statement that the film “is a love story with connection at its core, highlighting family, friendship, and motherhood with warmth and humor. The movie honors the heritage of mahjong by recognizing the game’s Chinese origin and its unique ability to connect cultures, generations, and communities.”
On May 7, Lowe echoed that sentiment during an interview with Flint, Michigan, news station ABC12, explaining, “I grew up with Mahjong, but Chinese Mahjong, obviously. So to know that the game has reached as far as it has reached is incredible for me. What I hope this film does is it brings people to go, ‘Where did this originate from?’ And then you can start looking into the Chinese Mahjong and understanding why it’s so important to us.”
Honoring the Chinese Tradition of Mahjong Was ‘Very, Very Important’ in Making of Hallmark Movie, Says Yan-Kay Crystal Lowe
HallmarkLowe, who stars in one of Hallmark’s longest-running franchises, “Signed, Sealed, Delivered,” and has also become a sought-after Hallmark director, grew up primarily in Canada with her Chinese dad and Scottish mom.
In 2023, she told North Hollywood Magazine that she lived for two years of her childhood in Hong Kong and that she was “partially raised by my Chinese family and I lived with my Chinese grandparents, so it was a big part of my identity.”
Reflecting on how Mahjong impacted her life growing up, she told ABC12, “It’s a community builder. It is where we come and we love and we eat and we fight and we argue, you know? We bug each other and we share our secrets over this table and that is something that I’m really excited about sharing with the world. And I have learned how much it’s impacted other people as well,” she continued, “and that’s a beautiful thing.”
The movie does have scenes that honor the origins of Mahjong, including some in a Chinese cultural center, which Lowe said was very intentional on the part of executive producer Joel Rice.
“It was very important to Joel Rice — very, very important,” she said. “We talked about it every day of shooting to make sure that we honored where I came from and when I came onto the film, we talked about that. It was like, making sure we honor where our roots came from and understanding it, and also inviting everybody else to the table. And that really felt like something that we were able to do.”
“All’s Fair in Love & Mahjong” premieres on Hallmark Channel on May 9 at 8 p.m. Eastern time and will be available to stream the next day via Hallmark+.
