Let’s explore the diversity of Thai Culture through Hidden Community in Bangkok (1)

Kudi Chin community; one of old community that has long history

In the first two blogs I shared about the beliefs of Thai people. If you have already read it, you knew that we mainly follow Buddhism, but some Hindu beliefs are part of our traditions, especially when it comes to rituals. About Animism and Superstition which were our original belief before we followed Buddhism, we did not abandon them; instead, we blended them with Buddhism. You can call the religion of Thai People as “Thai Religion” like the Thai academician called. In this blog, I will take you to deeply touch in the belief of Thai people through travelling. The place I chose is one of the hidden communities in Thonburi District, Bangkok. The outstanding feature of this community is the diversity of race and culture. This community is known as Kudi-Chin Community.

Kudi-Chin Community is situated on the west bank of Chao Phraya River in Thonburi District, Bangkok. In the past, travelers -especially foreigners- did not know much about this community much but as Bangkok has expand and the subway has been developed near Thonburi District, more travelers have discovered it. As the community becomes better known, the residents have worked to improve and develop it, making it easier for visitors to explore and understand local life.

As I mentioned, the charm of Kudi-Chin community is the diversity of race and culture. There are five beliefs in this community. These are Theravada Buddhism, Mahayana Buddhism, Taoism, Catholic, and Muslim. You will discover these beliefs from the life of the resident, the structure of their house and the religious place. If you arrive at the community by the river, you will first see Wat Kalayanamit or Santacruz Church. This zone is the residence of Catholic people and Buddhist people. However, if you are interested in seeing the Muslim community, you can access the area via Arun Amarin Road.

Besides its cultural diversity, the Kudi-Chin community is one of the oldest in Bangkok. Its history dates back to Thonburi period around the 18th century. The community's name is connected to one of the religious sites located here, which I will introduce next. Another charm of Kudi-Chin lies in its peaceful and beautiful atmosphere. If you are looking the place for relax and recharge - or if you are tired of the usual tourist spots in Bangkok, this community might just be a refreshing new choice.

At the gate of Kian-an-keng; the Chinese shrine which located in Kudi-Chin community

The architectural of the shrine reflects the art of Hoklo Chinese which give an important to the decoration

Let’s start to know Kudi-Chin community at its name. The place which can tell us about this is Kian-An-Keng or Shrine of Goddess of Mercy. Kian-An-Keng is the Chinese shrine which was built according to the belief of Taoism and Mahayana Buddhism. Kian-An-Keng is the Hokkien which is the language of Hoklo Chinese race). In Mandarin we can pronounce that Jian-An-Kong. This name means the place of peace in mind. I think that this is a specific feature of this shrine. If there is no Chinese festival, this shrine is so calm.

This Chinese shrine was originally built during Thonburi period, around the 18th century, by Hoklo Chinese - one of the Chinese ethnic groups. There were two shrine at that time but after the renovation by two Hoklo Chinese families during the reign of King Rama III around the nineteenth century, the shrines were combined in one. They also raised Guan-Yin or Goddess of Mercy to be the principal deity of the shrine.

In Thai language, there are two meanings for the word “Kudi”.

The first one is the residence and the second one is the religious place. While the word “Chin”, it means China or Chinese therefore when it is combined with the word Kudi it means “Chinese Shrine”. In addition, it is said that there was a residence for Chinese monk inside the shrine before. In conclusion, Kudi-Chin represents to this Chinese shrine; Kian-An-Keng.

A wooden sign above the middle door displays the shrines name 'Kian An Keng'.

The architecture of Kian-An-Keng is one of its charms. As I mention before, this shrine was built by Hoklo Chinese so the architectural style also relates them. Hoklo Chinese will give an important to the decoration. The roof was made in a bit curved roof. The color is not so colorful when we compare to the architectural style of other Chinese ethnic groups. There are three entrance doors. Above the doors, it is decorated by wood carving. All of the windows were made of carved wood in dragon design. All of these tell us about the delicate, graceful and unique of their art.

The red door of the building of the old residence for Chinese monks

Before going inside, I suggest you walk to the red door of the left building. It is said that this building was the residence for Chinese monks before. This point is the best area for taking a nice photo. When you step inside, you cannot take a photo (there is a main rule of this shrine). The first thing you will see after you step in is the mural painting which was painted in the picture of the Chinese guardians. On the left side, there is a statue of Chai-Sin-Ear or god of wealth according to the belief of Chinese people.

Guanyin or Goddess of mercy (middle) / Ma-Chou or Goddess of work (left and right) (Credit : https://www.bangkokbigears.com/)>

Definitely, the main focus point inside is the principal deity of the shrine; Goddess of Mercy or Guanyin.

Guanyin is recognized as a Bodhisattva in Mahayana Buddhism, according to Chinese interpretation.

Normally people pray to Guanyin for blessing related to health. ็However, the Guanyin of this shrine is known as a goddess of work, as her costume is quite different from the traditional appearance - she is dressed in work attire. This is connected to the two statues of Ma-chou, located on either side of Guanyin. Ma-chou is a goddess of work and travel. Because of the characteristics of both goddesses, people often pray to them for success in work and business. To the left altar table, you will also see several statues of Guanyin in different poses. The most striking one is Guanyin in the 'Thousand Hands' posture which symbolizes her ability to help many people at the same time.

This is a main characteristic of Bodhisattva especially for Guanyin. The generosity and compassion are the essential teachings of Mahayana Buddhism.

In front of Guanyin and two images of Ma-Chou, there is also a fortune stick and two pieces of wood in red color which are used for asking questions to the god. Both things are the simple things which you can find in every Chinese shrine. However, there is no paper in English to read the result of the forecast. On the left side of the main building is the building which is said that this was the residence for Chinese monks before. Today one area of the building has become to the place for enshrining the buddha images in various attitudes. This can also tell us about the beliefs in this community. These images were created according to the belief of Theravada Buddhism but this shrine is the Taoism shrine and also relates to the Mahayana Buddhism form Guanyin.  You can also see this aspect in other shrines in Thailand. In my opinion, it tells about the respect of local belief because the main belief of Thai people is Theravada Buddhism.

All of these are the first place of Kudi-Chin community I recommend to you. There are another three places which reflect the other beliefs and cultures. Please wait to read it in my next blog. If you have a chance to travel to Bangkok and want to deeply get insight Kudi-Chin community more than I write on my blog, you can contact me by the comment or personal message.