The Kuan Yu Shrine, Bangkok - the warrior god on the Chao Phraya

The Kuan Yu Shrine is dedicated to the ancient Chinese god of war, a legacy of the early Chinese immigrants who settled in the village of Bangkok during the Ayutthaya era. Located on the Thonburi bank of the Chao Phraya, the shrine is just behind the Princess Mother Memorial Park, near the twin Memorial and Phra Pok Klao Bridges. From a comparison with old pictures, it's apparent that the old shrine has been completely renovated. The present Kuan Yu Shrine is in an octagonal pavilion under a pagoda roof with a praetorian guard of dragons, the symbol of the emperor, strength and wisdom. Dragons glide down the roof, coil round the pillars within the shrine and the ornamental lamppost outside. Kuan Yu, an ancient Chinese general in the 2nd and 3rd centuries, played a pivotal role in the civil wars among the warring kingdoms of China. The best-known general in Chinese history, he is immortalized in the Chinese classic Romance of the Three Kingdoms, an epic tale spanning 113 years and 120 chapters! Set in a tumultuous period in Chinese history (168