Cheung Shun King, a third-generation craftsman in Hong Kong, has been running his mahjong store for more than 50 years. The store is named after his father and is regularly featured in local media. But these days business is tough.

"There are so many different kinds of entertainment, so younger people rarely play mahjong anymore," he said. "Since young people aren't playing these days, and many older players have also retired, I feel mahjong is ultimately a declining industry." 

He said there used to be more than 10 mahjong stores on his street. But now he only knows a handful of tile carvers across the whole city. 

Mahjong is a strategy game that developed in China hundreds of years ago.  It has since spread around the world and is usually played with four people and requires a set of 144 tiles. 

A recent public survey in Hong Kong found that only one in 50 young people play mahjong at least once a week, and for those that still do, many are opting for the convenience of playing on their phones rather than with traditional tiles and tabletops. 

There are now hundreds of apps and online platforms for the game. While that's broadening its appeal, tile carvers like Cheung are worried it will lead to his trade being forgotten. 

Joyce Leung is hoping to change that. She is the co-founder of a group that promotes local traditions and tries to bridge the generation gap between Hong Kong's millennials and its master craftsmen. 

"People just buy boxed mahjong sets from local retail stores," she said. "But they don't know that there are still craftsmen in Hong Kong who know how to actually make the mahjong tiles." 

She organizes workshops for craftsmen like Cheung to share their skills and runs an e-commerce platform to help them expand their businesses online.

Cheung said the experience has given him more hope for the future of his trade. 

"The response has been great, and the sessions have filled up quickly," he said. "Most of the participants are young people and have never seen this kind of thing before." 

The group is now planning to offer virtual versions of its mahjong master classes and do the same for other traditional crafts, including wood carving and neon sign making. 

It hopes that'll help future generations of Hong Kongers to learn how games like mahjong are played and how they are made.