A Texas company that makes expensive, colorful mahjong tiles is apologizing after critics found the redesign of the popular Chinese game culturally insensitive.
Cheeky Line, for example, replaces traditional Chinese symbols with bubbles, rays and has tiles decorated with bags of flour and Whoopie cushion.
The designs and language of the site did not please many people on social media, who said that removing Chinese characters erases the cultural importance of the game.
The company posted an apology and updated much of its website language on Wednesday and removed a photo of the three women who founded the company from its About page. The company has not stopped selling any of its games.
“It is imperative that our followers know that we never intend to ignore or misrepresent the origins of this game and know that there are more conversations and steps to be taken as we learn and grow. We are always open to constructive criticism and we continue to conduct conversations with those who can provide more. information about the traditions and roots of the game in Chinese and American cultures. “
Why the company decided to ‘update’ the tiles
Lee, who works for a housing developer in San Francisco’s Chinatown, told CNN he was shocked by the changes.
“This is a product with hundreds of years of tradition and culture and each piece has a meaning, and it is just complete disregard for all of that,” he said.
Lee said his mother taught him to play mahjong when he was a child.
“Every time my family gets together, we take the pieces out and play,” he said. “It is a way to keep in touch with my culture”.
“I am very disappointed in the atrocity you have committed. Sorry, MY CULTURE was too boring for you and it was not fashionable enough?” she wrote.
She told CNN that they didn’t need to insult the traditional game to justify their designs.
“They said, you know, ‘We’re creating this based on the fact that we were bored with the previous designs, we didn’t feel that they were, you know, exciting enough or new enough,” she said. “Which completely negates the fact that the original design has been there since, honestly, there have been some (game) variations since the 1800s.”
Ge found the company’s apology somewhat lackluster and said he expects them to hear criticism and assign Asians significant roles in their leadership team.
Mahjong Line continues to sell all of its sets on its website.
“We defend our products and are proud to be one of the many different companies that offer a wide range of parts and accessories for the American mahjong game,” LeGere said in a statement. “That said, we assume full responsibility that, in our quest to introduce new tiles, we unintentionally recreated an experience shared by many Asian Americans of cultural erasure and are working to correct this error.”