Mystery of Chinatown

Behind the lively roads of Mauritius' Chinatown full of colorful frescos, busy restaurants and shops lies 240 years of history  abundant with culture and tradition which most people do not know.

Mauritius' Chinatown is very unique as we can still find Chinese stores selling a variety of traditional Chinese medicines and products from China and incense sticks burning everyday in the various pagodas, as well as in certain homes.

Did you know that our Chinatown boasts several societies such as the Lai See Society (館旅氏黎)? These societies were created by our ancestors to regroup descendants of the same clans from which they came from. In the past, the societies were a place for these descendants who lived all over the country to meet and to join together to perform ancestors worship, rituals and offerings to receive blessings. We could also hear the sound of shuffling mahjong tiles. 

Although these societies still exist and try to encourage the young generation to learn about their roots and history, they are fading away as most of the young generation gets busy with work or even with school life. Therefore, very few youngsters know about the traditions and rituals.

Here’s an elder who was seen, going door to door, selling his green vegetables on his bicycle. It is a rare sight in our Chinatown as it shows that our grandparents are really hard-working people.

Let’s go roaming in Chinatown which is full of mysteries and surprises.

Written by JL