About Us

About Us

Nam Shun Fooy Koon

Pagoda

About Us

NAM SHUN
FOOY KOON

Nam Shun Fooy Koon is an association of members of the Chinese community who originated mainly from two places in China, namely Nam Hoi and Shun Tak. This segment of the Chinese community is commonly known in Mauritius as the Nam Shun or “Les Cantonnais” . The first steps towards the creation of “Nam Shun Fooy Koon” were initiated by the early immigrants coming from Nanhai and Shunde since 1859 when they formed an informal association of mutual help. It was only 35 years later that “Nam Shun Fooy Koon” was officially registered on the 26 th June of the year 1894 and the constitutive acts as well as the Rules, Regulations & Principles to govern all those who adhere to the society were enacted. The first president was Mr. Affan Tank Wen. The official proclamation of Nam Shun Fooy Koon probably encouraged more Cantonese to come to Mauritius and the number of Cantonese from Nam Hoi and Shun Tak increased substantially, so much so that Cantonese were known in Mauritius as the Nam Shun and most Nam Shun still speak with the Shun Tak accent in this part of the world. In the early days of Nam Shun Fooy Koon, its primary objectives were to look after the interest of its members, to promote an element of solidarity among the immigrants Nam Shun Fooy Koon.

NAM SHUN
FOOY KOON

南顺会馆

The management of the Nam Shun Fooy Koon has also not resisted to change and is now in the hands of a committee that comprise both of young and of less young members of the Nam Shun community, thus bringing together the wisdom of its more elderly members with the dynamism and pragmatism of the younger ones. As a result, there is a new Nam Shun Fooy Koon that is born and is transforming the old way of managing the affairs of the association.

Nam Shun Fooy Koon is also proud to have contributed to the revival of Chinatown through the various national functions and activities carried out within its new building, the Nam Shun Society Building. The aim of the Nam Shun Fooy Koon has also changed. It is now aspiring to become a financially sound nonprofit making institution through income generating activities to complement the voluntary contributions of its benefactors. This will allow Nam Shun Fooy Koon to carry on with its activities and projects; while promoting the Nam Shun culture and the Nam Shun way of life, which is built up on good principles of life and moral values such as altruism, hard work, self discipline, solidarity, a sense of honour and dignity.

A Brief History who were mostly small traders and artisans when they came to town for their businesses. This allowed them to share the Nam Shun way of life by preserving the rich traditions and cultures of their ancestors. With time however, the Nam Shun community has evolved and has expanded and diversified in other fields. Many of its members have left the retail trade sector to join other activities in the economy. This inevitable evolution of the Nam Shun community has urged a complete re-thinking and overhaul of Nam Shun Fooy Koon.

And thanks to the bold visions and measures taken by previous committees since the last decades, the role of the Nam Shun Fooy Koon has shifted as well and is now turning more to managing the rich patrimony that has been passed on to the new generation. This includes the management of the assets of the Nam Shun Fooy Koon such as the new Nam Shun Society Building (Heritage Court) in the heart of Chinatown, the renovated Nam Shun Fooy Koon pagodas at the Champ de Mars and the developments going on in the Nam Shun Fooy Koon Cemetery at Les Salines, Port Louis.

NAM SHUN FOOY KOON

南顺会馆

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Nam Shun Fooy Koon