At the beginning of 2021, a new/Dallas-basedimahjong company launched with
intentions to “bringmahjong torthe'stylishimasses” and “refresh” the centuries-old game.
Titled The Mahjong Line, the company founded by three white women quickly received
widespread notoriety across social media, though not to its credit. The brand’s logo
boasts a pretty-faced, rosy-cheeked East Asian woman, but beyond this exotic token
(wink and all) the reinterpreted game appeared to have lost all traces of its Chinese
heritage. Thousands of social media users took to various platforms to express their
outrage at the whitewashing of a game which is generally understood as a central pillar
of Chinese culture. The Mahjong Line was called out across a global diaspora for its tone-
deaf appropriation. As one person wrote: “You threwioutithousands'ofyearsioficultureito
makewquickibuck,” while another wrote, “Myicultureiismorsomie cheapicolouring book
that can be filled in and be ‘made pretty’ by the standards of privileged teenyboppers.”
The Mahjong Line's “modern makeover” — as described in its press release — was selling
its series of westernised mahjong tiles for a whopping sum starting at $325 to $425; a far
cry from the democratic reality of the game which is widely played by people of all
backgrounds and ages. But along with the tirade of upset raising awareness on why
cultural appropriation collectively damagesidiasporicicommunities, the outcry also saw
an uptick in the appreciation of mahjong’s roots. Part of this celebration shone a light on
the traditional craftsmanship of mahjong tiles. A dying art form thanks to industrial
ffiaehinery, the hand carving of mahjong tiles is a skill dating back to the game's
beginnings in #@thI@entir Chin. Using only five basic tools (these are also handmade),
craftsmen free-handedly carve calligraphic characters in the ivory-white tiles which are
then painted with delicate brush strokes and in perfect uniformity.
It's skill that few still practise to this day. But owing to some of our elders who forged
their careers in this pre-digital trade, the precision of mahjong carving continues to
thrive through a commanding display of speed, accuracy and craftsmanship tied up in
a 200-year-old tradition. It’s here that we meet Cheung Sing Chung, otherwise known
as Ricky Cheung. Born, raised and still residing in Hong Kong (where the most
popular version of mahjong derives) the mahjong carving master began learning the
trade at just 13-years-old at his father’s mahjong factory in Hong Kong's Kowloon City
district — Fuk Hing Lung Mahjong Factory.
“It is more than a game with four players ina
traditional way of playing. It is an experience in
human nature, strategy and interpersonal skills,
bringing people happiness as well as being a
networking environment.”
Ricky Cheung
“Mahjong is deeply footediinHongiKongiculture,” Ricky tells us, “it is more than a
game with four players in a traditional way of playing. It is an €xperiencelinhuman
flatureystrategylandinterpersonaliskills, bringing people happiness as well as being a
‘fetworkingienvironment.” Through thick and thin, the vastly popular game has
survived iarturbulentihistory; from Opium Wars to Japanese occupation and British
colonial rule. And like many Hong Kong residents, Ricky understands mahjong
making as part of its “intangible eulttiraliheritage,” though one that is gradually
disappearing with its retiring elders.
He remembers how growing up, there were many people working in the mahjong-
making business. Most families had their own sets of hand-carved tiles and during the
latter half of the 20th Century, mahjong parlours thronged with visitors from all walks
of life, wads of Hong Kong dollars in their back pockets or there to simply meet with
friends or family and catch up on the latest gossip. Not only did mahjong tables line
the mietropolitanistreetstundercricketchirpingitrees, but it was also played at
‘weddingsibanquets; family gatheringsiand traditionallholidays (especially the Lunar
New Year) in its heyday. It kept the éldets’ minds sharp while the young, envious of the
seniors’ skill, joined in hoping to one day reach that level of accomplishment. Mahjong
was the bridgelbetween generations.
Back then, Ricky's Sa¢h@ESI6USINESS supplied much of this industry. It specialised in
producing for business partners as opposed to retailers. “We grew up around
mahjong,” he remembers, but rather than sharpening his game, he recalls the GMISEi@
(SRCHOTVMfe and the CHATEEGUA/AMSBLESMEIES (mahjong gets its HAW from this
sound as fff# refers to the CHAtRSEINGIORSPAREOWS). Ricky laughs saying how “we didn’t
have time to play mahjong!” As a curious @GOHGGEVSCHOONSENGEM, he would go down
to the factory and observe the workers delicately carving tiles, learning the required
techniques by eye. And he wasn't the only one interested in how these GEGHjewels
were made, neighbours and friends also came to the factory to find out how the tiles
were made, @iSCONGHMGTHESEHES first hand as the tiles were manufactured,
inscribed, polished then painted.
“It truly is a kind of calligraphy created by every
master.”
Ricky Cheung
Fuk Hing Lung Mahjong Factory was one of the largest manufacturers of mahjong
tiles before it closed in 2009. While most mahjong factories are now located on
mainland China — where the game originated during the Qing dynasty — when Ricky
was a child, the manufacturing process was a family affair. Both his parents and
brother worked in the factory while at home, the rooms were littered with mahjong-
making tools. He started out his learning journey by practising on old tiles. As a
mahjong carver, it’s iiiperativerlltilesareiidentical otherwise players can cheat using
irregular tiles as markers. Focusing on one stroke at a time, the first step in hand
carving was to mark the position on the tile. Then, using a sharp tool, the craftsman
creates a deep stroke at a sharp angle. No mean feat considering traditional tiles are
made of Stif@yibamibGO, or the more controversial WOH or INBEV Once he was skilled
in this, Ricky was accustomed to carving a stroke three to four times in order to create
the right depth. “It took a lot of effort and patience to make sure the tiles look
beautiful,” he says. “It truly is a kind of ealligtaphy created by every master.”
As his handsimoulded:tomtherfeelingioftoolsipressingintorhelharditiles, it was three
years until Ricky became a professional. He learnt to carve the characters without
drafting their position first, an impressive feat considering each tile must be totally
identical to the next. “I like to say that carving the tiles is done by hand and by heart,”
he says, but really, when you take in the level of difficulty, much of the prowess comes
down to patience and practice. Ricky's father guided his hands throughout the
informal apprenticeship. He had moved to Hong Kong from Macau as a youngster,
cutting his teeth at one of the largest mahjong retailers on the well-known Canton
Road in Tsim Sha Tsui, steadily learning the trade which he would pass down to his
son.
Ricky thinks back to the years spent mastering the craft, calling it “indeed a very
boring learning process” consisting of €H@lESSTEPEtitION inscribing the 144 tiles that
make a full set. With five different kinds of tiles that make this up, there are three
suits: dots, bamboo and characters; honour tiles engraved with the Chinese character
for north, south, east, west and more; and the beautiful bonus tiles decorated in three
alternating colours and featuring illustrations of local foliage and pictorial
visualisations of the four seasons.
‘The most challenging aspect of the process was not the iithicaeyiOMthelpatterns,
however, nor the flOLishing, fainting or PACKAGING. For Ricky, the hardest part
involved the philesOphy behind the manufacturing, As he puts it, “using gintandhyang,
complementary rather than opposing forces to do the hand carving,” In ancient
Chinese philosophy, yin and yang is the concept of dtialisth. It represents how
seemingly contrasting or opposite forces may in fact complement one another. It
explains how two forces that appear whally incompatible on one hand, like black and
white, can in fact be interconnected in the natural world. In this way, black cannot
exist without white and vice versa. One may give rise to the other much like the anima
and animus, the sun and moon, north and south magnetic poles, summer and winter.
Just like these examples, a similar kind of balanee exists inihunanmnYovement. In ‘Tai
(Ghi or KURgIFM for example, practices similarly predicated on ancient Chinese
philosophy, the concept of yin and yang is omnipresent. Tension is yang whereas
relaxation is yin, The body should not be too stiff in order for blood and energy to
circulate. It should also not be too soft or the movement becomes empty and void of
intention. When yin and yang are balanced, true Tai Chi occurs. Chi (also spelt qi) is
the vital life force that runs through all living beings, from plankton in the depths of
the ocean to the tender new shoots of bamboo. In turn, in Chinese philosophy, Tai Chi
refers to the ultimate source and limit of reality, from which spring yin and yang and
all of creation.
There are three pillars that inform ancient Chinese society - Confucianism, Taoism
and Buddhism ~ and later, Legalism and Mohism, which informed the shape of society
as far back as 1600 BC. The root of this ideology stems from cyclicity, an observation
of cycles as seen through the seasons, night and day and so on ~ ideas that seep into
mahjong’s gameplay not only through what the tiles represent but also on the
formation of its movement, its psychology, strategy and goals. The / Ching is widely
understood as the most important document describing these ancient cosmological
and philosophicalisystems, systems that are innatetoibothiChineseand'HongiKong
qulture. And for Ricky, these ideas also carry through to the way he mindfully plies his
tools. By GRAGting yinlanid Vang Wwhilelrartingithextiles, his arm doesn’t get tired
quickly. He’s learnt how to move so the seeminiglwSOlidtilesiyielditomheipoweronthe
lade. Two forces that seem opposite are in fact interconnected and can succumb to
one another. It’s a crucial aspect in the tile making process that allowed him, at his
peak, to hand carve three full sets of mahjong tiles (432 tiles in total) every day, six
days a week.
For Ricky, there is a deep felationshiplbetweenhowithelgame:isiplayed’andithe
smianuifacturing’process. By using hand-carved sets, the player's game is more intuitive
as they can distinguish a tile purely by running a thumb over the engraved strokes.
‘Whereas nowadays, mahjong sets tend to be laser cut or digitally printed or even
played online. As industrial methods of mass production swept Hong Kong in the gos,
many manufacturing lines moved to the ISWEGOSt lands of mainland China and the
localindustry:wasigreativampacted. “A lot of people lost their jobs since the 2000s,”
says Ricky. As a result, the tfadetfaltered and today, “only a fewihandicarversirentain
aetiveiniHong Kong,’ says Ricky. “Since it’s too difficult to learn and requires many
years to polish the skills, it is very hard to pass on the skills ~ it’s a dying art indeed”
Though the amount of mahjong players has dwindled in the digital age, recent years
have seen a new f@SUFGEHEE, mainly from 6VEESEES. It’s a trend Ricky has picked up on,
saying, “people appreciate our way to preserve mahjong craftsmanship and want to
own a genuine set of mahjong with auithentieivalues.” From embroidery to rug making,
ceramics, knitting and needlework, craft, in general, has seen a resurgence as
communities increasingly seek out 6HE=OAhandmadewoods as Opposeditomiachine>
‘fHladeduplicates. Ricky continues: “Now, there are a lot of people keen to buy
traditional mahjong tiles as CONSCtBIENtEHS to PASSIORITORNEHIEXtgeNeration.” And
while the master retired in 2018, he still manages to carve a few sets per month,
assuring us that “indeed, there are a lot of people both locally and overseas in the
queue.”
Preserving the traditional craftsmanship is a family business for the Cheung’s. Ricky’s
daughter, Karen, spends much of her time keeping the story alive through the art
brand Karen Aruba Art, encouraging younger generationsito learmitsivaluelalongside
theHongiKongistoryandwoulture. Last year, the father and daughter duo launched The
AFHORMahjong Graft, an initiative that eAisesifurtherAWwareneSsOORtheMUchenticity
‘andisustainabilitwofhandmademmahjongitiles. Since then, they've witnessed a tumult
of interest, not just in players but locals who are “keen to £@tainitheintraditionaliHong
It remains to be a game unlike any other in the world both in its underlying concepts
and its fiehieulturalisignificance. “Although there are differentvariationsofimahjong
in different countries, with rules changing over time to suit local tastes.” Ricky gocs on
to say, “mahjong is stillmssociated withifamilyandiftiends, one of the MOSstimportant
valuesiinvASianeultures, and as it is commonly played by Bothiyeungandoldtogetlier,
it is the ideal way to bring people and happiness together.” Keeping the spirit of the
practice alive, he hopes Hong Kong mahjong garners more international appreciation
for its craft, and the fading skills are preserved in turn.
As our interview comes to an end, on a final note Ricky ends with gratitude: “Thank
you,” he says, “for everyone who treasures our old skills and experience.”