On August 25, Lin Jinzan, chairman of the Board of Directors of Meizhou Mazu Temple, and his delegation visited Navamindradhiraj University in Thailand, accompanied by Chen Yulong, permanent honorary president of the Thailand Quanzhou Jinjiang Association, and Lin Zhaoxiang, vice president of the Thai-Chinese Import and Export Association. They were warmly received by Associate Professor Pengsa Naipaya, president of the university, and representatives of the university.
The delegation held discussions with the university's management team and exchanged commemorative gifts. The two sides held preliminary talks on protecting the ancient Tianhou Holy Temple site, arranging pilgrimage exchanges for faculty and students to Meizhou, experiencing Mazu belief and customs, strengthening campus cooperation on Mazu culture, and preparing for the enshrinement of Mazu in the new temple. Together, they opened a new chapter in people-to-people educational and cultural exchange, university-local cooperation, and mutual learning between Chinese and Thai civilizations.
After the discussion, the delegation paid respects to the branch-spirit Mazu statue and conducted an on-site visit to the ancient Tianhou Holy Temple site on campus, which has a history of more than 300 years.
According to the university, Navamindradhiraj University is located on the banks of the Chao Phraya River. Its predecessor was a palace of a collateral prince during the reign of King Rama V, King Chulalongkorn. During campus construction, the university discovered a site in traditional Chinese architectural style hidden among banyan trees and vines. Research shows that the site was an ancient pier on the Chao Phraya River with a history of more than 300 years, where early Chinese immigrants landed, worked, lived, and put down roots. By a fortunate connection, Chen Yulong, permanent honorary president of the Thailand Quanzhou Jinjiang Association, who was studying at Navamindradhiraj University, learned of the discovery and identified it as the site of a Mazu temple. Last year, with Chen Yulong's introduction, Navamindradhiraj University made a special trip to Meizhou Mazu Temple to invite a branch-spirit Mazu statue. The statue is now temporarily enshrined in the prince's palace on campus. A new Mazu temple will be built around the site. The project is expected to be completed in October, and the branch-spirit Mazu statue is planned to be formally moved into the new temple on December 9.
During the exchange, Associate Professor Pengsa Naipaya, president of Navamindradhiraj University, sincerely thanked Meizhou Mazu Temple for supporting the university in inviting the branch-spirit Mazu statue for worship. He said the campus is not only an academic center where ideas converge, but also offers faculty, students, and believers a valuable opportunity to pay respect to the Mazu statue. The enshrinement of Mazu on campus is an important symbol of the deep friendship and close cultural affinity between China and Thailand.
Chairman Lin Jinzan expressed respect for Navamindradhiraj University's careful protection of the ancient site, its initiative in visiting Mazu's ancestral place to invite the branch-spirit Mazu statue, and its efforts to bring Mazu culture into Thai higher education. He said that by integrating Mazu culture into Thailand's mainstream higher education system, Navamindradhiraj University has opened a new pattern for the academic, standardized, and mainstream overseas dissemination of Mazu culture. This has enhanced the influence of Mazu culture in Thailand's academic community, among young people, and in mainstream society, while strengthening an important platform for cultural exchange between China and Thailand.