Mahjong exhibition reveals gambling industry that once dominated Hong Kong

The curious world of mahjong is revealed at a special exhibition in San Po Kong this weekend as the owners of a gambling house open its former site to the public before it is demolished. The Chinese tile game, previously banned during the Cultural Revolution, was once a booming business in Hong Kong. Nowadays it’s a sunset industry, with just under 70 mahjong parlours left in the city, but for those who want to retain a stake, there is still money to be made. This weekend the owners of Tai Choy Lee on Kam Wing Street in San Po Kong will open up its previous site just a few metres away for a special exhibition before the parlour is demolished. Original games tables, ivory and bamboo tile sets, cashier counters and a decorative mahjong-tiled wall are among the artefacts on display – marking a rare chance to see inside this quirky industry. “Back in the 1950s, the players were mainly old men, 60 or 70 years old; they were Bruce Lee types but not as stylish – now it’s about a 50-50 split of men and women, and the average age has gone down considerably,” Wilson Lam, operational consultant at the Tai Choy Lee mahjong shop, said. It’s the stuff of old Hong Kong cinema, where dubious gamblers would fritter away their cash for hours before a fight would inevitably break out. “It is a dying industry. However, for those operators with a backup, they will get bigger and better.” Wilson Lam, Tai Choy Lee mahjong shop operational consultant “Mahjong schools gained a bad name,” Lam said. “Not because of the players themselves, but mainly because of the movie representation. There were always fights – you would think the people were rough and tough. Characters would end up cutting people and shooting. But in reality it does not happen that way.” In the early 20th century, factory workers and coolies were the main visitors to San Po Kong’s mahjong parlours. The first mahjong licence – which is featured at the Kam Wing Street exhibition – was granted in 1956, signifying a move towards a more regulated industry. The government went on to hand out 144 licences – the same number of tiles in a mahjong set. Under the new regulations, operating hours were limited from midday to midnight. The Mahjong Shops Association subsequently lobbied Hong Kong’s Legislative Council to extend this to 16 hours per day, but its attempts were unsuccessful – the government wanted to keep the industry in check. The streets of Yau Ma Tei, Mong Kok, Sham Shui Po, Jordan and later Wan Chai became the game’s main sites in the city. The schools, along with much of the entertainment industry in Hong Kong, suffered a downturn in the years following the 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome crisis, as residents sought to avoid arenas where they might increase their chances of catching the virus. Now the remaining houses are bright, air-conditioned venues where you can grab a snack and a drink while playing. In 2016, the predominant version of the game is Shenzhen mahjong. It marks a simplified take on the previously popular Guangdong mahjong. The modern game relies more on luck than technique and, crucially, is much faster to complete, appealing to time-pressed workers. The game is currently experiencing a revival around the world, with a World Series of Mahjong tournament being held three times since 2007, offering big money prizes to the winners. In Japan, it became the most popular table game in 2010. Meanwhile, in the United States, a version of the game is played which many claim is a remake of an old Jewish table game. “It’s more about entertainment now,” Lam said. “It is easier to win, and it’s less about gambling.” “It is a dying industry. However, for those operators with a backup, they will get bigger and better. “The competition for the remaining ones is getting more and more fierce.” The older parlours, like the one being demolished in San Po Kong, simply cannot survive without significant investment, he said. “It is a shame but there is nothing we can do about it,” he said. “Before it’s demolished we wanted to show people what it was like. It is such a secret place – especially with the old shops, not many people have gone inside.” A worker’s perspective Mahjong school manager Lun Chi-keung has seen the industry evolve from seedy to sanitised. The 58-year-old father of two, who started out in a reception role 19 years ago, was attracted to the world of mahjong after working in the textiles industry at a time when it was in decline. But, perhaps unsurprisingly, he said he does not enjoy playing it in his spare time. “I used to play mahjong with the customers if they needed another player, but I do not play at home because I have seen so many people playing mahjong,” he said. Lun said he now appreciated the work-life balance he has achieved, as he is entitled to one day off for every three days he works. “I found that working here is more safe than working in other industries,” he said. “Construction tends to be more dangerous. “It is a relatively safe and stable industry. It is relaxing – I would like to do it until I retire.”

Mahjong exhibition reveals gambling industry that once dominated Hong Kong

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Owners of Tai Choy Lee mahjong house open former school to public before it is demolished

Owners of Tai Choy Lee mahjong house open former school to public before it is demolished