Slice of Chinese culture
Raghav Ramful
By Raghav Ramful
Published on 30th May, 2008
You must have often heard how Port Louis looked in the good old days, but trying to make a picture of those scenes must have proved a difficult task. Now you will have a chance to see from still-life arrangements, scenes of daily life in the capital zooming on Chinese culture.
The Chinese Heritage Centre that has taken birth in an old building located on the premises of the Fock Diack Society’s Pagoda, found in Rémy Ollier Street, Chinatown, was conceived by architect Henry Loo. The latter wanted to arouse consciousness among people of Chinese descent of their identity, which is gradually tending to disappear.
The Centre is divided into various thematic sections with objects and props that form part of larger compositions that take the visitor back in time. These compositions unveil the different stages of the Chinese Diaspora, e.g. coolies who were brought to Mauritius to work in the sugar cane fields and later as traders. In Port Louis, the Chinese traders opened shops in the city’s more prosperous quarters such as along Royal street. They also established smaller retail shops that supplied ordinary products to customers who came from all over the island.
Social picture
The Chinese Heritage Centre gives the visitor a social picture of the days when that part of the city used to wake up to the Chinese festivals with various activities and also noisy late nights spent playing cards and mah-jong during week ends. We also get a glimpse of the ways of locomotion in those days through pictures oxcarts, trains and Minor taxi cars and bicycles. The trade-mark baskets tied to a bamboo rod, typical of the Chinese way of carrying goods is also depicted. Those scenes stand in sharp contrast with the ways of transport in modern times that have brought about their dose of problems like pollution and the evil of road congestion.
On the other hand, pictures of tragedies that hit China Town are also pasted on the wall. Photographs of devastating fires that have brought many a historic building in China Town to ashes will surely bring a sense of dismay to the visitor. The Chinese Chamber of Commerce where precious documents were archived was also destroyed by a fire.
The Chinese press, which was considered as a major communication device in this tiny community has a prominent place in the Chinese Heritage Centre. An old press, donated by Mr Ng Kee Siong, the editor of the weekly paper The Mirror is on display.
Communication
Earlier, Chinese traders depended on ships coming from China for news from their motherland. Even with the development that ensued, the old system of printing was still being used as recently as 2000.
The replica of the typical ‘labutik sinnwa’ (Chinese Shop) remains the major attraction of the place. It goes without saying that earlier, the daily social life in a
village revolved around the Chinese shop usually situated at a street corner. The visitor will have the opportunity to learn about the oldest standing “Chinese shop” in Port-Louis, Hayme’s shop. This building was owned by one of the first Chinese immigrants who were allowed to do business in Mauritius. Hayme shared good relations with Governor Farquhar and he was given the opportunity to begin trade as early as 1837.
As a matter of fact these Chinese workers came from Fujian, Guangdong or Guangzhou (Canton) among other locations in China and the visitor can thus have an overview of the context in which the Chinese Diaspora began.
Through a series of layouts supported by comments, maps and photos the visitor will surely make the link between the rich cultural past of the Chinese community and the present state of affairs.
The Centre is divided into various thematic sections with objects and props that form part of larger compositions that take the visitor back in time. These compositions unveil the different stages of the Chinese Diaspora, e.g. coolies who were brought to Mauritius to work in the sugar cane fields and later as traders. In Port Louis, the Chinese traders opened shops in the city’s more prosperous quarters such as along Royal street. They also established smaller retail shops that supplied ordinary products to customers who came from all over the island.
Social picture
The Chinese Heritage Centre gives the visitor a social picture of the days when that part of the city used to wake up to the Chinese festivals with various activities and also noisy late nights spent playing cards and mah-jong during week ends. We also get a glimpse of the ways of locomotion in those days through pictures oxcarts, trains and Minor taxi cars and bicycles. The trade-mark baskets tied to a bamboo rod, typical of the Chinese way of carrying goods is also depicted. Those scenes stand in sharp contrast with the ways of transport in modern times that have brought about their dose of problems like pollution and the evil of road congestion.
On the other hand, pictures of tragedies that hit China Town are also pasted on the wall. Photographs of devastating fires that have brought many a historic building in China Town to ashes will surely bring a sense of dismay to the visitor. The Chinese Chamber of Commerce where precious documents were archived was also destroyed by a fire.
The Chinese press, which was considered as a major communication device in this tiny community has a prominent place in the Chinese Heritage Centre. An old press, donated by Mr Ng Kee Siong, the editor of the weekly paper The Mirror is on display.Communication
Earlier, Chinese traders depended on ships coming from China for news from their motherland. Even with the development that ensued, the old system of printing was still being used as recently as 2000.
The replica of the typical ‘labutik sinnwa’ (Chinese Shop) remains the major attraction of the place. It goes without saying that earlier, the daily social life in a
village revolved around the Chinese shop usually situated at a street corner. The visitor will have the opportunity to learn about the oldest standing “Chinese shop” in Port-Louis, Hayme’s shop. This building was owned by one of the first Chinese immigrants who were allowed to do business in Mauritius. Hayme shared good relations with Governor Farquhar and he was given the opportunity to begin trade as early as 1837.As a matter of fact these Chinese workers came from Fujian, Guangdong or Guangzhou (Canton) among other locations in China and the visitor can thus have an overview of the context in which the Chinese Diaspora began.
Through a series of layouts supported by comments, maps and photos the visitor will surely make the link between the rich cultural past of the Chinese community and the present state of affairs.