Normally, celebrities and presidents are printed on banknotes. But how can a Chinese man be printed on Mauritius's banknotes?
Examples are Queen Elizabeth II on British currency and Japanese bacteriologist Hideyo Noguchi on 1000 yen notes. But one exception is Moilin Jean Ah-Chuen, a Chinese Hakka, who appears on the 25 rupee-banknote in Mauritius.
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Photo via Internet
Photo via Internet
Photo via ABC Group
Photo via ABC Group
Photo via Internet
Many people believe that it is the richest country in Africa. Indeed, it used to be a British colony. In the late 19th century during the Qing dynasty, many Chinese went abroad in search of a better livelihood. One of those was Moilin Jean Ah-Chuen’s dad, identified as Jean Wei Xun from Guangdong. He went to Mauritius and opened a grocery store.
Photo via Internet
At that time Mauritius was famous for production of sugar cane. Most locals were underprivileged farmers. Only Jean Wei Xun came up with the “put-it-on-account” concept. Based on trust, his business grew rapidly.
Photo via ABC Group
As his son Moilin Jean Ah-Chuen took over, the grocery store opened in 1931 continued to grow, and became a major retail chain in the country.
During the second World War, Mauritius suffered from a desperate shortage of commodities. As a retail magnate, Jean assisted the government in distributing goods while importing foreign goods to help solve the crisis.
During the war, he called for donations from Overseas Chinese to support China which was under attack. He also established a homeland security team.
After WWII, he became the first Chinese councilor in the country, and in late 60s, he headed the Ministry of Finance as the country declared independence from Britain. Mauritius is a member of the Commonwealth, and Jean received a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth in 1972.
Photo via ABC Group
During the 1970s recession, the country’s economy plummeted by at least 40 percent, particularly in the sugar cane industry. Jean then approached Hong Kong businessmen to invest in Mauritius, especially in the textile industry and chemical industry.
In the 1980s, he twice went back to China for investments. He passed away in 1991.
In 1998, Mauritius decided to use his portrait on its 25 rupee-banknote. He is the only foreigner to be featured on banknotes anywhere in the world. In 2011, on the centenary of his birthday, the country launched a commemorative stamp collection in his honor. Until now, keeping one minister position for Chinese becomes the country’s usual practice.
Established in 1931, Jean’s ABC Group remains a leading business conglomerate in Mauritius. It is one of the top 100 enterprises in the Indian Ocean.
