When it comes to money, I believe many people know that no matter which country it is, banknotes are printed with portraits of important people in that country or region, usually either the founding fathers or the dynasty. But today I'm going to talk to you about a Chinese living abroad and being printed on foreign currency. He doesn't even have a primary school education, but he has become an important ** in this country, and this person is familiar to you and me - the only Chinese face in the world!This is the first time that a Chinese face has appeared on a foreign currency. And this legend is Zhu Meilin.
As we all know, modern China has gone through ups and downs, and after the First Opium War, the country was forced to open. At that time, the common people were unwilling to be oppressed by the Qing Dynasty anymore, and went overseas to find life. Zhu Meilin's father, Zhu Weixun, also left his hometown at that time and went to Mauritius, a British colony at that time.
Zhu Meilin's family originated in Guangdong and is an authentic Hakka people. The Hakka people are born with the spirit of courage and hard work. When Zhu Weixun came to Mauritius, he had no land and no finances, and it was very difficult to survive. However, the pride of the Hakka people made Zhu Weixun not discouraged. He seized the opportunity to start running a grocery store, and after a period of hard work, his entrepreneurial path finally began to bear fruit, amassing some wealth and starting a family of his own.
Born in 1911, Zhu Meilin left his hometown at a young age, but his family has always maintained the traditional Chinese education method, which has passed on to him a strong Chinese culture and deep national feelings. Later, due to the death of his father and brother one after another, Zhu Meilin, who had not finished his studies, had to give up his studies and go home to help his parents with housework. And Zhu Meilin's business talent was also fully reflected at that time, and the rapid growth rate was remarkable. By the age of 20, he had become a prominent local business elite.
Five years later, Zhu has his own operating group, which has opened a series of retail stores, as well as a grain import business, and has ventured into shipyards and insurance. At this moment, at the age of 25, Zhu Meilin is already a veritable business tycoon, known as the national hero of Mauritius.
Although he is in a foreign land and far away from his motherland, in Zhu Meilin's heart, he never misses his hometown and motherland. During his overseas work, he has been committed to promoting various exchange activities to promote economic cooperation and development between the two places. As a leader of the Mauritian overseas Chinese community, he has always adhered to strong patriotic feelings and actively promoted the peaceful and stable development of the country.
It is a pity that Zhu Meilin, such a heroic Chinese entrepreneur, was not able to return to his hometown in the end. When Mauritius was seriously ill, he knew that he might never be able to set foot on his homeland again, so he wrote poems such as "To My Hometown" to express his deep homesickness.
It turned out that when the country was opened, many people with lofty ideals crossed the ocean to find a new starting point for life. And Zhu Meilin is one of them. From his story, we see his courage, wisdom and dedication, as well as the deep attachment and care of the Chinese to the motherland.
At that time, the number of Chinese in Mauritius was really quite large, and 98% of the shop owners in the country were us Chinese owners. In order to facilitate everyone to deal with all kinds of things, heroes from all walks of life jointly formed the Chinese Entrepreneurs Association, as a leader in the industry, the young Zhu Meilin's status is not to be underestimated, he was elected as the chairman of the Chinese Entrepreneurs Association with outstanding performance, the burden is very heavy but the faith is firm, he shoulders the heavy responsibility of ensuring the daily life of the people of the country.
We will never forget that year, when the news of Japan's full-scale invasion of China came in 1937, Zhu Meilin, as a wanderer in a foreign land, could not help but feel distressed for the suffering of the motherland. He actively mobilized Mauritian business tycoons to donate generously to raise a large amount of money and supplies to send to China, and he also encouraged the Chinese community to organize land protection teams and return to their ancestral countries to help the motherland fight foreign enemies. Unfortunately, the shadow of war has come again, making a deep concern that affects the entire Mauritian society, the people of this island rely on the cultivation of sugar cane for a living, and firewood, rice, oil, salt and various daily necessities basically have to be imported from outside.
However, because Japan and the United States are working again, Asian freighters loaded with survival necessities cannot reach Mauritius smoothly. Those who dared to take risks came in vain, and the freighter was shattered by bullets not far from the sea. Soon, Mauritius was facing a severe food shortage, and a great famine was about to break out, and the people were so hungry that they had yellow skins and hairy sideburns, and could even destroy this beautiful island!
The local ** is overstretched, there is really nothing to do, I have to go to Zhu Meilin, who is good at solving these difficulties, the Chinese Chamber of Commerce has 98% of the country's materials in hand, even if Zhu Meilin's conditions are too harsh, ** can only accept. But they never expected that this Chinese would not hesitate to take out all his family funds to fill the people's rations!Not only that, but he also took the initiative to call on all Chinese businessmen to do their best to ** the goods needed by the people of the whole country. The people of Mauritius were deeply moved, and Chu Mei Lin took the whole picture, and the phrase "all lives should be cared for, regardless of race or skin color" made them feel warm.
He solemnly said that those who have money cannot seek huge profits, those who are in difficulty can owe money to eat first, maintain stability, prohibit price gouging, in short, resolutely not let people see his intention to make "national trouble". This spirit of "benevolence" is deeply inherited among the Chinese community, and no matter where they are, the kind Chinese sons and daughters always cherish their compatriots. In the past five years, it was thanks to the great assistance of the Chinese led by Zhu Meilin that Mauritius was able to survive the extremely difficult years of the war. Not a single one starved and froze to death on the streets, and no one took the opportunity to wreak havoc. As long as he is a person who sincerely serves the people, the people of any country will respect him very much.
In 1947, Mauritius moved towards self-government, and they clearly remember that Chu Meilin, who saved the motherland, was elected by the people as a member of the Legislative Yuan, and the Queen of England personally awarded him a high knighthood. He became the first Chinese parliamentarian in the history of the country, and since then, the voice of the Chinese has been heard in various events in Mauritius. Over the next 20 years, the local residents lived in harmony with the Chinese community, and they remained grateful for the episode when Zhu Meilin lent a helping hand.
In 1968, Mauritius bid farewell to Britain's century-old colonial history and officially declared independence.
In the following two decades, Zhu Meilin not only devoted himself to promoting local economic development, but also fought relentlessly for the equal rights of the Chinese community. For these Chinese Americans, living in that era of social turmoil, they could not return to their hometown even if they lived, and even after death, they could not realize their long-cherished wish to return to their roots, but they never forgot where their roots were.
As the leader of the Chinese Entrepreneurs Association, when the motherland was in the stage of backwardness and beating, and the status of the Chinese was at its lowest ebb, he still stuck to his post, guarded the rights and interests of overseas Chinese, fought ceaselessly for the welfare and progress of the Chinese community, and tried his best to enhance the social status of overseas Chinese. After he entered the Mauritian legislature, he put forward many favorable proposals, and through unremitting efforts, the Chinese New Year was finally implemented as an official holiday in Mauritius.
It is precisely because he once represented the Chinese community and stood at an unprecedented height that the Chinese are very respected in the eyes of the local people. Since his death, every Mauritian governor** has promised to reserve an important ministerial position for the Chinese. Zhu Meilin, second from the left In 1991, Zhu Meilin, a legendary figure, left this world, before he died, he told future generations and overseas Chinese compatriots to remember: "As a Chinese, you can't forget the fundamentals of doing business, let alone where you came from." "Whether it is China, where our ancestors are from, or Mauritius, the country where we live now, they have given us a lot of help, never forget, drink water and don't forget to dig wells, learn to be grateful, and know how to reciprocate.
The people of Mauritius were deeply grateful for the great dedication of Zhu Meilin in the past, so in 1999, they decided to print the portrait of Zhu Meilin on the new 25 yuan Mauritian banknote. They carry his heroic figure in their hearts, and our lovely China sees him as a role model in the hearts of the Chinese people, because he is the only Chinese face in the world printed on foreign currency.
This unprecedented glory is unique in more than 200 years. In 2011, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of his birth, Mauritius issued a set of commemorative stamps to keep his presence in mind. His daughter, Zhu Lishan, who later became a senior diplomat in China, had the privilege of being received by our country's top leaders, and he, who was the country's prime minister at the time, praised: "It is a great honor for you to be Chinese, to speak Mandarin so fluently, and to be an ambassador." "Today, Zhu Lishan has settled in Hong Kong, China, and it can be regarded as the dream of several generations and the realization of the wish of returning to the roots.
Just want to be worthy of the conscience of heaven and earth, do your best, and do your best to pursue and practice noble moral standards, although you need to go through countless ups and downs on the way forward, you can finally spend this life in vain. Zhu Meilin, although he is alone in a foreign country, still strives to turn the tide and protect a piece of land, help build a residence, stand up and help the wounded, no matter how time passes, always maintain a heart of fraternity and gratitude. He symbolizes the appearance of a savior, a fraternity with a fearless spirit, and he gives unreservedly to his homeland or elsewhere.
Shouldering the unbearable weight of many ordinary people, it is difficult to pick up the burden and undertake the task, such an outstanding and outstanding son and daughter of China is the bright and shining light of the Chinese people embedded in the historical picture scroll!