The shrines built by the Chinese communities of Bangkok offer a fascinating insight to the beliefs and history of this key component of the city’s cultural melting pot, discovers Ines Ehrlich
The Chinese New Year, the most auspicious occasion of the traditional Chinese calendar, begins on the first day of the first lunar month. This year that falls on January 23, heralding the celestial water dragon. Such an auspicious event only occurs every 60 years and for the Chinese, the year of the dragon is deemed to be a year of good fortune representing health, prosperity and longevity.
Chinatown in the Yaowarat area of Bangkok hosts one of the liveliest new year celebrations outside China itself. The streets come alive with colourful lion and dragon dances, firecrackers, lanterns, operas and an abundance of food stalls to excite the senses. With auspicious red and gold colours dominant throughout, the festivity traditionally extends from Traimit Road, past Wat Traimit temple, China Town Gate (the Royal Jubilee Gate) on to Yaowarat Road and to the Ratchawong intersection.
Ahead of the year of the water dragon that begins on January 23, we visited several of Bangkok’s most popular Chinese shrines. To the layman, the Chinese religious pantheon seems to involve a vast number of deities in a seemingly endless variation of forms primarily categorised as Buddha images, bodhisattvas, arahants and other heavenly beings to whom worshippers flock to pay their respects.
Our guide is Viroj Tangvanich, an expert on all things Chinese, who explains the complex blend of Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism and folk traditions that make up Chinese religious beliefs and which involve a wide variety of practices. He points out that Chinese New Year is primarily dedicated to ancestor worship, a religious practice based on the belief that deceased family members continue to exist in the afterlife and that their spirits will safeguard the family and influence the fortune of the living.
With the exception of the Thai architectural style of Wat Kalayanamitr, the shrines we visit adhere to the ancient Chinese temple structure whereby buildings invariably facing south or southeast and with planning of the buildings on a north-south axis, comprising groups of halls or chambers separated by courtyards. We begin at the Chinese-style Royal Jubilee Gate at the Odeon Circle on the symbolic gateway to Chinatown at its eastern edge. This area is said to represent the dragon’s head that ultimately slithers through the heart of Sampheng Lane. It was built by the Chinese-Thai community as an expression of loyalty to His Majesty King Bhumibol, and was officially inaugurated on his 72nd birthday on December 5, 1999.
Thian Fa Foundation and Kuan Im (Guan Yin) Shrine
Our first stop is the Thian Fa Foundation, founded in 1902 by five language groups – the Teochew, Hokkien, Hakka, Cantonese and Hainanese – all residing in the Sampheng area at the turn of the 19th century, a collaboration that paved the way for a unified Chinese community. Here traditional Chinese medicine was practised and offered free of charge to poor Chinese immigrants. Today there is also a practice for modern medicine on the premises. The foundation is supported through donations and works closely with the Poh Teck Tung Foundation, where unclaimed corpses are collected for burial.
The gateway to the Thian Fa Foundation very much resembles a Chinese shrine and leads to a central Chinese style pavilion. Beyond the gate and the forecourt stands a three-metre gilded wooden image of Kuan Im, also known as Guan Yin, the goddess of mercy, who presides over the premises. This Chinese deity (bodhisattva avalokitesvara) is the main object of devotion for the many worshippers who flock here despite the fact that this is not strictly a shrine. She is worshipped by Chinese Buddhists, promising to liberate them from their karmic woes, and is revered among the general Chinese population due to her unconditional love, compassion and mercy. She is regarded by many as a protector of women and children, and is also seen as a fertility goddess. The statue, in the posture of bestowing a blessing, was carved from a single piece of sandalwood. Produced in China in the Tang dynasty art style, it is believed to be some 800 years old. The statue has been in the possession of the foundation since 1958.
Tai Hong Kong Shrine and Poh Teck Tung Foundation
Next we visit the Tai Hong Kong Shrine, one of Bangkok’s most popular Chinese Buddhist shrines, the origins of which date back to 1896 when a merchant called Be Yun U brought an image of the venerable Mahayana monk from China to Bangkok.
Tai Hong Kong lived in Fukien province during the Song dynasty, over 300 years ago. While on a pilgrimage further south he reached an area where a deadly epidemic had broken out and which subsequently left many corpses strewn by the wayside. Tai Hong Kong and his disciples collected the corpses for burial and set up clinics to treat the sick. Today hundreds of institutions throughout China continue this charitable tradition, as improper funeral arrangements are believed to wreak ill fortune on the family of the deceased.
In 1909 a group of 12 Chinese merchants set up a committee that would follow the example of Tai Hong Kong and this in due course became the Poh Teck Tung Foundation. Funds donated by devotees who come to the shrine to pay homage to the image of the revered monk are used for the foundation’s benevolent activities which include funeral arrangements for several thousand destitute people a year. The foundation also assists the victims of fires, floods and other natural disasters and its name featured prominently in the media during the recent months of flooding. In cases where corpses are unclaimed, the bodies are kept in a large morgue where they await donations for coffins and subsequent burial. A well-maintained fleet of ambulances and fire trucks stand in the courtyard awaiting the call to action.
On auspicious occasions such as Chinese New Year or the vegetarian festival, the Tai Hong Kong shrine is packed to the brim with members of the Thai-Chinese community who flock to the central altar where the two-metre-high image of Tai Hong Kong in his monastic robes awaits their veneration.
Wat Mangkorn Kamalawat/Wat Leng Noei Yi
As we make our way to Wat Mangkorn Kamalawat (Dragon Lotus temple) a throng of vendors lines the streets selling lotus-shaped dumplings and oranges, foods deemed fit for the many deities inside. The wat was given its current name by King Chulalongkorn, having previously been known as Wat Leng Noei Yi.
Wat Mangkorn Kamalawat is the largest and most important Chinese Buddhist shrine in Bangkok. Founded in 1871 on land donated by the king, its construction – which took eight years – was financed by wealthy Chinese merchants and government officials. Sok Heng was appointed its founding abbot with the title of Phra Ajan Chin Wang Samathiwat. In 1978 the current king and queen presided over the inauguration of a nine-storey monastic school building, which was converted into a secondary school in 1990.
The wat is in a courtyard off Charoen Krung Road and is accessible via a small passageway. Built in the ancient Chinese architectural tradition, it features multi-tiered roofs decorated with animal and floral motifs, crowned by two Chinese dragons playing with a pearl of wisdom. The main entrance to the viharn (assembly hall) is flanked by large statues of the chatulokkaban (four guardians of the world), clad in warrior costumes, two on each side. Inside, a labyrinth of courtyards and passages connect various altars to Buddhist as well as Taoist deities.
Three gilded Buddha images fashioned in the Chinese style sit majestically in the mai hall where drumbeats and gongs resound and sandalwood smoke fills the air. At the rear end of the temple are smaller chambers, two of which are dedicated to the goddess of mercy, Guan Yin, and the temple’s founding abbot. Near the rear of the courtyard is a case containing 58 bronze-cast Buddha images. It is believed that paying homage to the numerous deities in the shrine will bring good luck in various aspects of life such as health, longevity, business success, educational accomplishment and family happiness. “One god for each blessing,” says Viroj.
The shrine hosts a number of annual events including Chinese New Year and the Vegetarian Festival. We learn that an important aspect of the shrine is the annual ceremony believed to rid people of bad luck, known as pi chong. This involves chanting of scriptures aimed at changing the destiny of those born in that particular year. Devotees can also seek a change of fortune by writing down their name, date of birth, lighting joss sticks and making paper offerings to the deities. In exchange for a donation the paper offerings are burned in the shrine’s ovens and sent directly to the heavens.
Wat Mangkorn Kamalawat is popular among Theravada and Mahayana Buddhists as well as Thai-Chinese Christians and is always bustling with worshippers lighting incense and filling the ever-burning altar lamps as they come to seek spiritual guidance.
San Chao Pho Lak Muang / City God Shrine
Our next stop is the diminutive City God Shrine, a Taoist shrine tucked away in the bustling, narrow streets of the Sampeng area. The presiding god is Sia Erng Kong. Viroj tells us that every city in China has its own deity and that in ancient times it was believed that if a god protected a city, its inhabitants were guaranteed a happy and peaceful life since he held the power to banish the evils plaguing the city. The city god is deemed the final judge of the souls who perish within his parish. “Even Chinese emperors visited the city god shrines,” Viroj assures us.
It is believed that the shrine in the Sampeng area was the first to be built after the Siamese capital was moved from Thonburi to Rattanakosin Island in Bangkok in 1782. As in many of the shrines we visited, devotees whose prayers are fulfilled hire traditional dance troupes and Chinese operas for the public to enjoy. It is a way of showing their gratitude to the presiding god of the shrine. Viroj adds that he likes to visit the city god shrine in Shanghai as well, and advises us that one should not pray only for oneself but rather for the entire city.
San Chao Pho Suea /Tiger God Shrine
The San Chao Pho Suea Shrine is situated on Tanao Road near Khao San, and is the only shrine located within the walls of Rattanakosin. According to a plaque it was in existence as far back as 1824. Viroj informs us that the presiding deity for this popular Taoist shrine is the warrior who became a god known as Xuan Tian Shang Ti. Although a Taoist shrine, it has become one of the main places of worship for Thai Buddhists and is one of the top places of worship in the city.
At the far end of the shrine is an altar decorated with embroidered Chinese silk where the presiding god Xuan Tian Shang Ti is seated flanked by images of other Chinese deities. Clad in imperial robes, he holds a sword in his right hand and is usually seated on a throne with his right foot stepping on a snake while his left rests on a black turtle. The god’s stern face is usually depicted in red with a black flowing beard. The shrine is guarded by two stone tiger statues which is why, Viroj tells us, it is mistakenly referred to as the Tiger Temple, a reference to the legend of a tiger who killed the only son of a widow, leaving her lonely and destitute. According to the legend, the tiger later regretted his actions and pledged to protect and provide for the old woman.
The Chinese worship this god on his birthday, the third day of the third lunar month, when thousands of people from all over the city crowd to the shrine. It is also a popular place for couples to make offerings of sugar tigers, in the hope that they might be blessed with a child. Offerings of pork, rice and eggs are made to the tiger gods.
What makes this old Taoist shrine attractive is the fame of the presiding god who is believed to have the power of blessing worshippers with good fortune as well as protecting them from evil forces. “The warrior god is revered as a powerful god, able to control the elements, and is also venerated by merchants and traders who worship him as their minister of finance,” says Viroj. “The tiger is just the deputy of the warrior god, a servant of sorts, which is why his image is situated at the far left of the shrine and not in the centre.”
Wat Kalayanamitr / Wat Sam Poh Kong
Wat Kalayanamitr is a Buddhist temple that was founded in 1825 by a Chinese nobleman named Chao Phraya Nikorn Bodin (Toh Kalayanamitr), who purchased land in the Kudee Chin area of Thonburi to build a temple in honour of King Rama III. According to Viroj, the name of the wat, bestowed by the king, means “good friend” and alludes to the close relationship between the Chinese community and the royal court that prevailed at the time. The monarch ordered the construction of a large viharn for the temple and requested that the presiding Buddha image of Wat Kalayanimitr be fashioned after the image of the Buddha in Wat Phra Phanan Choeng in Ayutthaya, which is highly revered by the Chinese due to its association with Admiral Zheng He, famous for his seven seas voyages in the 14th century and known in China as a symbol of peaceful relations between countries and cultures. The king attended the stone-laying ceremony as well as the casting ceremony of the Buddha image in 1837 and elevated the temple’s status to that of a royal temple.
The images in both Ayutthaya and Bangkok are referred to in Thai as Luang Phor Toh (Great Reverend Father), and by Chinese speakers as Sam Po Kong. The presiding Buddha images in Wat Phra Phanan Choeng and Wat Kalayanamitr are the only ones in Thailand bearing Chinese names. Viroj tells us that during the recent flooding of Ayutthaya, Wat Phra Phanan Choeng was one of the few temples to escape the deluge. The 15-metre-high main viharn of Wat Kalayanamitr houses Bangkok’s largest Buddha image in the classic posture of Subduing Mara. It also boasts a tower that barely contains the largest bronze bell in Thailand.
Differing from the other Chinese shrines we have visited thus far, the architectural style of Wat Kalayanamitr is primarily in keeping with the Thai structure of a Buddhist temple with touches of Chinese influence. However, the viharn, ubosot and many other smaller buildings sit in an inner courtyard surrounded by statues, a Chinese stone pagoda, ceremonial gates and other decorative objects imported from China. Viroj explains that the Chinese decorative elements found their way to the temple during the heyday of Sino-Siamese trading in the form of ships’ ballast. “Siam would send ivory, rice and timber to China, and the ships would return with a lighter load of tea, silk and ceramics. To balance the weight of the ship on its return to Siam, stone carvings were loaded as well, and brought to the temple.”
Chao Mae Tuptim / Tian Ho Sia Bor Shrine
There are several Chinese shrines throughout Thailand dedicated to Chao Mae Tuptim, known in Chinese as Tian Ho Sia Bor (Heavenly Empress), particularly in coastal and river cities such as Bangkok, Chonburi, Pattani and Phuket. In the south she is better known as Mae Yahnang; other names include Mazu and A-ma. Some experts suggest that she may be a version of the older goddess Guan Yin. There are shrines in her honour near the Wang Lee house in Thonburi and the Memorial bridge (Saphan Put), but the one we are visiting is near the Krung Thonburi bridge.
Viroj recounts for us the fascinating tale of this goddess. Apparently, he tells us, she was born as Lin Mo Niang in 960 AD on the island of Meizhou, Fujian. “Mazu had special powers from a young age which included second sight, saving people from drowning, and even slaying dragons. But most importantly, Mazu’s abilities focused on seafarers.” She is the indigenous goddess of the sea who protects fishermen and sailors. Newly arrived immigrants often erected shrines to her in gratitude for safely crossing the perilous seas and arriving at their destination. “To honour Lin Mo for her humility and compassion upon her death, she was elevated to the pantheon of Buddhist deities and declared a goddess by the Chinese government,” he continues. “The imperial courts of several ensuing dynasties raised her status further with 22 new and grander titles and many new shrines were built to venerate her.” Viroj recounts the story of the allied forces’ bombing of the Memorial bridge and adjacent Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) during World War II, noting that although the houses surrounding the shrine were destroyed, the Chao Mae Tuptim shrine remained completely intact.
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