Competitive Mahjong is surprisingly good fun and great art
The art of handcrafted Mahjong is as an Intangible Cultural Heritage
A delicately hand-carved mahjong tile. Photo: AndyPoll
Mahjong brings four people around a square table for a game of chance
Mahjong is a popular game played in Hong Kong, Asia and throughout the world. It brings four people around a square table to play a game of chance and strategy with suits of carved tiles, with rules similar to gin rummy and dominoes.
Slightly overlapping circles show how precise hand-carved mahjong tiles need to be. Photo: AndyPoll
It is played in mahjong parlours, at home for leisure, at Chinese wedding banquets, at family gatherings, and during traditional holidays.
Artistry of a mahjong tile. Photo: AndyPoll
Experienced players compete and teach novices. Generations come together and have a common point of conversation.
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The chattering of sparrows sounds like tiles sliding across a table, so the Chinese word for sparrow is the name of the game. Mahjong was invented in China and widely played at the turn of the nineteenth century.
Colourful detail of mahjong tile. Photo: AndyPoll
Originally it was a card-based game before the more wind-resilient tile version became popular. It was exported to America in 1920 and became a game for women in New York, who created Mahjong leagues.
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It was banned in China between 1949 and 1985 because the government thought it was linked to gambling and too distracting for the people.
Mahjong tiles being painted. Photo: AndyPoll
Inexpensive factory-made sets in China have effectively ended demand for hand-carved versions, so today only a few aged Hong Kong masters still work in the traditional manner.
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But expert players prefer hand-carved tiles, because, unlike machine-made ones, each tile has a unique feel.
Master mahjong craftsman Cheung Sing Chung. Photo: Andy Poll
Thus, their eyes can be on their competitors at the most important moments of the game.
Master craftsman Cheung apprenticed at age 13
Master craftsman Cheung Sing Chung has been hand-carving mahjong tiles since the age of thirteen when he apprenticed to his father. At his peak, he could carve four sets of 144 tiles a day.
Hand carved mahjong tile. Photo: AndyPoll
Now semi-retired, his daughter, Karen Aruba, is the third-generation advocate for the art form.
Hand painted mahjong tile. Photo: AndyPoll
Awareness was further encouraged in 2014 when the Hong Kong Government formally listed “Mahjong Tile Making Technique” as an Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Circulation – red, white & green mahjong tile. Photo: AndyPoll
But for mahjong tile making to flourish, it must also adapt.
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So, Karen has applied her illustrator training to reinterpret the traditional game pieces with three new designs inspired by her travels to Canada and Greenland and by her experiences in Hong Kong.
Karen Aruba, third-generation advocate for handcrafted mahjong. Photo: AndyPoll
For each set, her dad carves the tiles and she hand-paints each with bright, original, often metallic colours.
Tile Making Technique listed as an Intangible Cultural Heritage
Slightly overlapping circles show how precise hand carved mahjong tiles needs to be. Photo: AndyPoll
For this exhibition, photographer AndyPoll captured the carving and painting process and put the final product under a microscope (i.e. a macro lens), providing a larger perspective on the work of the Cheung family.
Emerge, mahjong tiles before and after. Photo: AndyPoll
To the uninitiated, the sound of clashing mahjong tiles may just be noise, and the rules almost incomprehensible.
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This exhibition shows that even without expert knowledge, one can appreciate mahjong as an art form and its place in the shared cultural experience of the Chinese people and fans of the game.
Text Martin Wray / Photos AndyPoll / Karen Aruba Gallery
