One Chinese family's legacy in paradise

Donald Ah-Chuen, a descendant of Chu Wei Chuen, recalls of his family's contributions to the island nation of Mauritius, Dong Jidong reports in Port Louis, Mauritius

When US writer Mark Twain visited Mauritius in 1896, he quoted a resident on the island saying that "Mauritius was made first and then heaven; and heaven was copied after Mauritius".

The tropical paradise attracted many immigrants from around the world, and among them was 14-year-old Chu Wei Chuen. Born in Meizhou, Guangdong province, the boy's dream was simple - start a business, make a fortune and return home.

He did start a humble grocery business and made a small fortune. But little did he know that he and his future generations would go on to become prominent personalities on the exotic island.

Chu's second son, Jean Moilin Ah-Chuen, went on to become one of the most successful entrepreneurs in Mauritius and the Minister of Local Government after the country became independent in 1968. The Ministry of Local Government is responsible for local government matters in Mauritius. More than a century after his arrival on the island, Chu's eldest granddaughter, Marie Madeleine Lee, become the Mauritian ambassador to China.

Thanks to the precedent set by Jean Moilin and Marie Madeleine Lee, it has become a customary practice that the Cabinet of Mauritius would include a member of Chinese descent and the country's ambassador to China would be an ethnic Chinese, says Donald Ah-Chuen, 84, son of Jean Moilin and the CEO of ABC Group, during an interview in the family's former residence on Reverend Lebrun Street in Rose Hill.

"Our family is very proud of these achievements," Donald says. "It was a great honor for the family when my sister Marie Madeleine met with the then Chinese premier Zhu Rongji in 2000. Zhu was so happy to have an ambassador from an African country who could converse fluently in Mandarin, Cantonese, Hakka and Shanghainese, aside from English and French."