Mahjong shop modelled in staggering detail by artist, sight unseen, is his latest ode to old Hong Kong
- Joshua Smith, based in Adelaide, Australia, makes miniatures of buildings around the world, most of which he has never seen in person
- His latest is a scale model of a mahjong shop, home to one of Hong Kong’s last artisan tile makers
An Australian artist who went viral in 2017 with his miniature version of a decrepit Hong Kong building has renewed his focus on the city, making a detailed miniature of a Kowloon mahjong store.
Joshua Smith said his handmade miniature of Biu Kee Mahjong, on Jordan Road not far from the entrance to the Temple Street night market, was finished last week, and took three months to build, spaced out over 12 months. It was commissioned by a private collector and is not for sale.
Biu Kee Mahjong is operated by Cheung Shun-king, one of the few remaining artisan mahjong tile carvers left in Hong Kong. The store is the third Hong Kong building Smith has created in miniature, after his Temple Street shophouse that went viral and a tong lau building on Des Voeux Road West in Sheung Wan.
As with most of the other buildings around the world he has recreated in miniature, Smith has never seen Biu Kee Mahjong in person – he works with Google Street View and photos sent in by his Instagram followers around the world.
