Thailand: The Phra Sangkajjayana statue (Laughing Buddha or Budai), Wat Matchimaphum, Trang Town, Trang Province, southern Thailand

Budai (Chinese: 布袋; pinyin: Bùdài), pronounced Hotei in Japanese, Bố Đại in Vietnamese, is a Chinese folkloric deity. His name means "Cloth Sack" and comes from the bag that he is conventionally depicted as carrying. He is usually identified with (or as an incarnation of) Maitreya Buddha, so much so that the Budai image is one of the main forms in which Maitreya Buddha is depicted in East Asia. He is almost always shown smiling or laughing, hence his nickname in Chinese, the Laughing Buddha (Chinese: 笑佛; pinyin: xiào​fó). Many people confuse Budai with Gautama Buddha.

Trang has been a trading center since at least the 1st century AD. It grew to prosperity between the 7th and 13th centuries during the Srivijaya period and remains an important commercial town today.

Rubber, palm oil and fishing are the mainstays of the town's economy. Tourism is making an increasing impact as Trang’s Anadaman Coast and islands are increasingly developed and popularized.

The town has a strong Overseas Chinese character (and hence good Chinese restaurants) as a result of an influx of Chinese labor in the latter half of the 19th century.

Copyright:

CPA Media Co. Ltd.

Photographer:

David Henley

Credit:

Pictures From Asia