China · Carving; Game making; Hong Kong heritage
麻雀牌製作技藝
The hand carving and painting of mahjong tiles. A carver cuts each character and symbol into the tile face to a precise depth with five handmade tools, free of any drafted outline, so that every tile of a type is identical; the incised designs are then hand-painted. Hand-carved tiles are now made by only a few aging masters in Hong Kong.
Risk level: Critically Endangered · Not listed by UNESCO. Included in the Hong Kong ICH Inventory (reported as 2014) and presented as one of eight craftsmanship items in the ICH Office's 2026 exhibition.
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