Towards the end of 2023 a team from the Wereldmuseum set off for China in preparation for the museum’s Made in China exhibition. Along with reporter Cindy Zhu Huijgen and photographer and cameraman Matjaž Tančič, they travelled from Beijing to Jingdezhen, Yixing, Shanghai and, finally, Hong Kong. During their travels, they spoke with many interesting and passionate makers and artists, and brought back a host of information in the form of interviews, photographic material and objects. Some initial impressions of a number of these encounters are given here.
In Hong Kong we talked to Karen Aruba and her father Cheung Sing Chung, one of the last traditional mahjong makers. Cheung, who is now in his 80s, learned his craft as a young boy, from his father, who owned a mahjong factory. Carving mahjong tiles is an arduous and exacting process, as each line has to be cut to a different depth and thickness. It is vital to a mahjong carver that all the tiles are carved identically, otherwise players can cheat.
His daughter Karen Aruba designs the mahjong tiles, incorporating contemporary images into her designs. In the past, the tiles would be made of ivory, bone or bamboo, and would sometimes have a jade back. Nowadays, they are made of acrylic. The tiles are carved using five handmade basic tools. This craft takes years to master. We bought a set for the museum, in a new design by Karen Aruba featuring images showing the history of Hong Kong. Each tile is a tiny artwork, carved and painted with love and care.
The making of mahjong sets is regarded as part of Hong Kong’s intangible cultural heritage. Mahjong was invented in China in the 19th century (during the Qing dynasty), and spread to Chinese communities around the world. There are several versions, but the Hong Kong version is the most popular globally, as most Chinese émigrés came from Hong Kong or the surrounding Cantonese-speaking region. The game is usually played by four players. It is played for a stake, and large sums of money are sometimes involved. But people also often just play for fun. At every party or festive gathering for Chinese New Year or family celebrations there will be a mahjong table. In the past, it was played both in gaming houses and on the street, and these days it is also played online. There was an Asian foodstore on West Kruiskade in Rotterdam with an ‘association’ upstairs where people would meet to play mahjong. The games were clandestine, as there would be lots of gambling. At Ka Fook Mansion, the residential community for elderly Chinese people on Graaf Florisstraat in Rotterdam, one of the recreation rooms is specially reserved for mahjong. The residents do not play for money, but for company and to keep their brains active.
In his heyday, Cheung Sing Chung (also known as Ricky Cheung) would carve as many as 432 tiles (three complete mahjong sets) a day, six days a week. He started learning the skill at the age of 13 at his father’s Fuk Hing Lung Mahjong Factory, one of the largest mahjong manufacturers until it closed in 2009.
Karen Cheung is Cheung Sing Chung’s daughter, who works as an illustrator under the name Karen Aruba.
In the past, mahjong tiles were made of ivory, bone, or bamboo and sometimes with a jade backing. Nowadays, they are made of plastic. Mahjong tiles are carved with 5 basic tools. The tools are handmade.
In Made in China contemporary Chinese artists, designers and craftspeople explore the interaction between
