Game over for Hong Kong shop selling hand-carved mahjong tiles for 47 years

Kung Yau Cheung Mahjong, a beloved fixture in Hong Kong's Mong Kok district for 47 years, is closing its doors for good on March 28. The shop, founded by a master carver and later taken over by his apprentice Ko Yun-kan in the 1990s, represents a vanishing craft. Owner Ko, now in his sixties, began his life's work at the shop at age 18. He states the closure is not due to a lack of business but because the landlord decided to take back the street-corner premises on Shanghai Street earlier this year, leaving him without a workshop.

Ko Yun-kan attempted to find a new location but could not secure a suitable site, leading to his decision to retire. Having devoted himself daily to the intricate craft of hand-carving mahjong tiles for decades, he expressed a profound sense of loss, stating he 'lost the work overnight.' The shop's closure marks the demise of one of Hong Kong's few remaining traditional handicraft stores. Ko, who grew up alongside the business, has witnessed both the evolution of the bustling Mong Kok neighborhood and the steady decline of such specialized, manual artistry in the modern city.