⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠L'Aventure du Sucre, or the Sugar Musem and Factory, in the African island country of Mauritius stands as one of the few museums in the world dedicated to the humble sugarcane.

Mauritius is renowned as a tropical paradise with its balmy climate, pristine beaches, and vibrant coral reefs. But sugar is what really makes this place tick -- it's the island's iconic calling card, deeply woven into the fabric of its identity.

The story of Mauritian sugar industry is one of colonial conquest and exploitation.

The Dutch brought sugarcane to the island's shores first, then the French sliced up the land into sugarcane plantations. It was the British who really started up large scale sugar production - shipping in over 450,000 laborers and supercharging sugar exports to Europe.

The museum used to be a sugar mill, and it preserves the machinery and equipment used in the once-simple sugar manufacturing process - from crushing the cane between rollers to extracting the sweet juice.

As technology advanced, large-scale equipment replaced manual labor, modernizing Mauritius' sugar production.

The museum boasts a rich collection of historical sugar products, from raw sugar and molasses to the diverse array of specialty sugars and rums produced on the island.

It also highlights the sustainable practices adopted by the industry, such as using sugarcane waste for renewable energy generation.

The sugarcane residue left over after extrusion by large equipment can reduce a lot of carbon dioxide emissions when it is used in power generation compared to coal.

The country started relevant research and development on producing electricity in sugarcane mills in 1991, and now the country derives around 60 percent of its electricity needs from the sugarcane residue, or bagasse, a testament to the industry's commitment to environmental sustainability.

Saturday marks this year's International Museum Day, with the theme being "Museums for Education and Research".

SHOTLIST:

Pamplemousses, Mauritius - Recent
1. Various of factory building, parking lot, equipment at Sugar Museum and Factory;
2. Various of old sugar-making equipment;
3. Paintings on display showcasing workers at sugar refinery;
4. Various of old-time equipment collected at museum in operation, cogs rotating;
5. Various of machines, pipelines;
6. Various of bagasse.

[Restrictions: No access Chinese mainland]