The Influence of Wat Phanan Choeng in Ayutthaya on the Thai Chinese Community from a Multicultural Perspective

Abstract

This article examines the influence of Wat Phanan Choeng in Ayutthaya on the Thai Chinese community from a multicultural perspective. It argues that the temple should not be understood merely as a Buddhist site, but as a dynamic socio-cultural space in which beliefs, collective memories, and identity practices of different ethnic groups intersect and are continuously negotiated.Adopting a qualitative research approach, the study combines documentary analysis, field observation, and semi-structured interviews. Fieldwork was conducted between [Month–Month, Year]. A total of five key informants were interviewed, including three elderly members of the Thai-Chinese community, one local historian, and one expert in Chinese-Thai cultural practices. Participants were selected through purposive sampling based on their long-term engagement with the temple and local community.

The analysis focuses on three dimensions: architecture and murals, sacred images and symbols, and traditional customs and rituals. The findings indicate that the temple embodies a multicultural religious landscape shaped by long-term interaction between Thai and Chinese cultures. Architectural spaces such as the Royal Hall, the Painted Hall, and the Goddess Shrine reflect the integration of Thai Buddhism, Chinese Mahayana Buddhism, and Chinese folk beliefs. Sacred figures such as Sam Po Kong and Chao Mae Soi Dok Mak function as symbolic mediators that connect migration history, ancestral worship, and local belonging.

At the level of ritual practice, activities such as ghost-feeding charity, Chinese New Year celebrations, Qingming ancestor worship, and cemetery-related rituals demonstrate how Chinese cultural values—particularly filial piety and charitable ethics—have been preserved, adapted, and publicly recontextualized within the Thai religious context.

The study further argues that Wat Phanan Choeng operates as a shared cultural platform through which Thai Chinese communities construct, maintain, and negotiate their identity within Thai society. However, this coexistence should not be understood solely as harmonious integration. It is also shaped by broader socio-political processes, including state patronage and historical patterns of cultural assimilation.

In the context of contemporary transformations—such as modernization, urbanization, and generational change—the sustainability of this multicultural dynamic is increasingly being challenged. The temple therefore represents not only a site of cultural coexistence, but also a space in which identity continues to be redefined over time.