iPlay Hong Wong Kung Shrine

Horseshoes

This small Hakka Chinese shrine in Talad Noi, one of Bangkok’s oldest Chinese communities. The locals tell me the Hakka community was renowned for their steelworks, and one of their famed products were horseshoes (kuek ma) in Thai. In the days when there were still horses promenading down Charoenkrung, riders would come to this alley to get their steeds fitted with shoes. The shrine, situated at the end of the alley, was established during the reign of King Rama V and houses the statue of Han Gao Zu, the first emperor of China’s Han dynasty.

Celebration

There is an annual Hon Wong Kung ceremony on the birthday of Cai Shen (God of Wealth and Fortune) on the 12th day of the 9th Lunar month (somewhere in October). A big streetparty!