Eyebrows furrowed in careful concentration as he chisels images and Chinese characters onto mahjong tiles, 70-year-old Cheung Shun-king is one of the last craftsmen of his kind in Hong Kong.

This year, she published a book called Mahjong: House Rules from Across the Asian Diaspora. Nicole says the sound of the tiles is especially powerful. “Mahjong is more than just fun,” she says.