The Mahjong Company Apologises After Netizens Claim Designs Are Cultural Appropriation
Despite being invented centuries ago, mahjong remains one of the most popular board games that’s commonly played among friends and families today.
Even so, its designs have undergone little change — the dots, bamboos, and character suits look the same in almost every mahjong set.
In a bid to “refresh” the game, however, 3 ladies from the United States recently started their own company incorporating fresh designs and bright colours into the ancient game.
However, the Caucasian trio has since received flak for culture misappropriating and profiting off the game’s rich history.
Founder felt conventional design did not reflect fun of mahjong
According to CBS News, the Texas-based company was founded by 3 Caucasian ladies after one of them fell in love with the game.
However, one of them felt that the designs “did not reflect the fun” that she had while playing the game.
And so, they decided to come up with their own mahjong tiles with a revamped appearance.
The Mahjong Line was formed in Nov 2020, and with it 5 new colorways across 3 themes.
The creators, among other things, added different imagery and neon hues, along with other designs like butterflies and bamboos.
The sets, however, do not come cheap, and cost between US$325 (S$428) and US$425 (S$559) each.
The Mahjong Line gets flak for culturally misappropriating
Since then, The Mahjong Line has come under scrutiny as Asian-Americans and others of Asian descent accused the company of ‘colonising’ mahjong and Chinese culture.
A netizen pointed out that the designs on conventional mahjong tiles are a reflection of centuries of Chinese history.
The trio had apparently disrespected this history when they replaced them with their own designs.
Another Twitter user accused the trio of ‘whitewashing’ the game to make it more palatable to them.
Netizens also took issue with the word ‘refresh’, arguing that the tiles don’t need refreshing.
At the time of writing, The Mahjong Line’s website and Facebook page have been taken down. Their Instagram page, however, is still up.
The Mahjong Line apologies in Instagram post
On Wednesday (6 Jan), folks from The Mahjong Line issued a statement on its Instagram page apologising for not paying proper tribute to the game’s “Chinese heritage”.
In particular, they admitted that their usage of the word “refresh” has caused many to feel “hurt”, and hence apologised for their actions.
They also took the opportunity to clarify that it was never their intention to “ignore and misrepresent” mahjong‘s roots, and are open to learning more about the game and its origins.
Do you think this is culture appropriation?
Though the founders’ intentions appear to be well-intended, perhaps some things are better left untouched.
In this case, it appears the mahjong tiles’ designs are a reflection of centuries of Chinese culture.
While there are different takes on mahjong tiles such as this Hello Kitty-themed set, they don’t mess with the designs.
Do you think The Mahjong Line has appropriated Chinese culture? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.
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Featured image adapted from Facebook.
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