Wat Bamphen Chin Phrot

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Wat Bamphen Chin Phrot, also known in Teochew as Yong Hok Yi, is a small Mahayana Chinese temple in Bangkok, Thailand. It is on Yaowarat Road in the Samphanthawong district and is one of Thailand’s oldest Chinese temples, older than Wat Mangkon Kamalawat. It is considered the country’s smallest temple, housed in a five-storey shophouse.

The temple began as a place to worship Avalokiteśvara set up by overseas Chinese in Siam around 1795. It was later abandoned and then rebuilt in 1867 by a Chinese monk named Sok Heng. King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) gave it the Thai name Wat Bamphen Chin Phrot, meaning “Practice Chinese Buddhist Teaching Temple.” The king’s name plaque still hangs above the main hall.

Inside, there is a small Teochew-style room that measures about 7.8 meters by 10.2 meters. The main Buddha images are the Trikāya and the Eighteen Arhats, all made of papier-mâché. The temple also houses statues of other Chinese gods such as Guan Yu, Xuanwu, Caishen, Tai Sui, and Kātyāyana.