Japanese museum returns mahjong sets to China
World's largest mahjong museum to send sets back to China, including one used by Puyi
A mahjong museum in a prefecture near Tokyo has decided to return to China a huge collection of mahjong sets, including one used by the last Chinese emperor, Puyi, the World Mahjong Organisation (WMO) said online yesterday.
Besides Puyi's set, which China considers a national treasure, the batch also includes mahjong pieces made of jade, silver or bone, as well as those that once belonged to famous historical figures such as the late Peking opera star Mei Lanfang and famed 20th century ink painter Zhang Daqian, said Yao Xiaolei, assistant to the WMO's secretary-general.
"They are all of very high cultural value, and it is difficult to say which piece is worth more money," Yao told the Post by phone yesterday. "We're still considering how to deal with them."
The return of the mahjong items was an unfulfilled wish of the late former board chairman of a publishing company that owns the museum.
As the museum's entire collection will be transferred to Beijing, the WMO will establish an institution in the museum's place to promote mahjong, according to an agreement reached between the museum and the WMO.