On March 12, more than 200 Filipino Chinese devotees gathered at the Tonghuai Guanyue Temple in Quanzhou, Fujian, for an ancestral veneration and pilgrimage event, jointly promoting Guan Gong (Lord Guan) culture. This event was jointly organized by the Philippine Quanzhou Tonghuai Guansheng Fuzi Zhongyi Temple and the Philippine Tonghuitang Guansheng Fuzi Temple.
That morning, the pilgrimage procession set off from the Overseas Chinese Hotel, accompanied along the route by traditional Minnan folk performances such as large drums and lion dances, adding festive and solemn atmosphere to the event. In front of the temple plaza, the devotees performed the traditional “Three Offerings Ceremony” to express their reverence for Guan Gong's spirit.
The Quanzhou Tonghuai Guanyue Temple is a thriving site of incense worship, one of the most representative folk belief venues in southern Fujian, and an important bridge for Guan Gong cultural exchange among Chinese communities in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, and Southeast Asia. Up to now, the temple has carried out “Incense Division Certification” work, organizing six batches with a total of 99 domestic and overseas branch temples for certification, uniting devotees through shared incense, and jointly promoting the Guan Gong spirit of “loyalty, righteousness, benevolence, courage, propriety, wisdom, and faith.”
Chen Liqun, Chairman of the Philippine Tonghuitang Guansheng Fuzi Temple, said that the spirit of Guan Gong holds significant influence in the Filipino Chinese community, encouraging overseas Chinese to persevere in the face of challenges and achieve personal development. Cai Yongning, Chairman of the Philippine Quanzhou Tonghuai Guansheng Fuzi Zhongyi Temple, who organized this large-scale pilgrimage group back to Quanzhou for the first time, stated that he hopes to work with the ancestral temple to pass down Guan Gong culture, and also to explore business opportunities through this visit to contribute to his hometown’s development.