Chinese Mahjong game with the protection of the last craftsman
Cheung Chun King, 70, is one of the last remaining similar artisans in Hong Kong.
AFP
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Cheung Chun King, 70, is one of the last remaining similar craftsmen in Hong Kong, with great focus engraving Chinese images and drawings on the stones of the famous game of Mahjong in China.
Hand-made mahjong stones were previously a source of income for many, but the craftsmen who work in this field have become scarce after the market has invaded the cheaper and machine-made versions.
And after the Cheung family alone owned four workshops in which the man learned the craft as a teenager, it currently owns and only one workshop.
“I did everything in my power for this profession,” Cheung says of his work. “I don’t know if I will have the energy to continue in the profession in a few years, but I will continue for now.”
Cheung's store is located on a street that also includes mahjong halls, but none of them buy handcrafted game stones.
"The copies that I make are very expensive," he says, explaining that "the price of a complete game made of hand-made stones is 5500 Hong Kong dollars (700 dollars), while the price of a machine-made game does not exceed about 2000 dollars (254 dollars)."
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