Phuket Governor Leads Delegation to Putuo Mountain for Guanyin Consecration

Phuket Governor Chotinarin Kerdsom, accompanied by his wife, Mr. Pramookpisitt Achariyachai, Mrs. Thanyarat Achariyachai, chair of the second Pud Jor Shrine restoration project, and members of the shrine committee, led a delegation to Putuo Mountain in Zhejiang Province, China. They took part in the incense pilgrimage (jinxiang) and the eye-opening consecration of the Guanyin statue (gim sin), which will be brought back to Pud Jor Shrine in Phuket.

The journey carries forward an aspiration held by Phuket’s forebears since 1908, when the shrine was restored for the first time. They had hoped to perform a ceremony at the sacred Buddhist site associated with the Bodhisattva Guanyin. Donation receipts from that period preserve evidence of this intention. During the shrine’s second major restoration, the delegation has fulfilled that long-held wish while strengthening friendship and shared faith between Thailand and China.

The visit was made possible with the valued cooperation of the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Songkhla, the Putuo Mountain Buddhist Association and Puji Temple. The ceremony took place on 22 October 2026 at 4:45 p.m. local time in China, at Puji Temple (普济禅寺) on Putuo Mountain. Abbot Xin Guang (信光法师) presided, joined by abbots from Puji, Fayu, Huiji and Baotuo temples.

Order of Ceremonies

1. Chanting of Buddhist prayers.
2. Eye-opening consecration of the Pud Jor Guanyin statue.
3. Receiving the sacred flame.
4. Exchange of commemorative gifts. The Thai delegation presented a flag symbolizing friendship and a statue of Luang Pho Chaem; Puji Temple presented a certificate and the sacred flame.
5. A commemorative group photograph.

This auspicious ceremony marks the return of blessings and sacred traditions to Phuket. The delegation hopes that they will bring protection, peace and prosperity to Phuket’s Buddhist community and to people throughout Thailand.

Pud Jor Shrine is among Phuket’s oldest and most significant shrines. For generations, it has been a spiritual centre where Thai-Chinese residents have paid their respects and sought blessings from the Bodhisattva Guanyin (Pud Jor). That devotion is both a religious practice and a cultural thread woven into everyday life in the local community.

During the shrine’s first restoration in 1908, Phuket’s forebears resolved to travel to Putuo Mountain in Zhejiang, China, a sacred site associated with Guanyin, for the incense pilgrimage. At the time, the plan remained unfulfilled and survived only in historical records. More than a century later, the current shrine committee has finally carried it through following the completion of the second major restoration.

The journey also received strong support from the provincial government. Governor Chotinarin Kerdsom, his wife and representatives from other sectors joined the consecration and the return of the sacred flame to Thailand. Their participation reflects the value placed on Phuket’s cultural heritage and the beliefs that unite its people.

Beyond inviting blessings for Phuket’s community, the ceremony used religion, faith and cultural tradition as a bridge of friendship between Thailand and the People’s Republic of China, with the hope that those ties will endure.

About Abbot Xin Guang (信光法师, Master Xin Guang): He is a senior Mahayana Buddhist monk with a prominent role in Chinese Buddhism. He currently serves as president of the Putuo Mountain Buddhist Association (普陀山佛教协会会长) and abbot (方丈) of Puji Temple (普济禅寺), the principal and largest temple on Putuo Mountain in Zhejiang Province, China.