During the early years, there was a wide white canal with massive water that was located just in front of the shrine. This is where the name of the shrine originated as Jui is Chinese word meaning water while Tui means a white mortal.
Today, the current location of Jui Tui shrine is not its original location. It had to be relocated here after a fire that happened many years back. Therefore, the building has gone through a number of renovations to the final striking, distinguishable temple present today. There is a display photo of the old temple built in 1911when it was solely standing alone without other side buildings.
Jui Tui shrine is famous at it hosts the famous annual vegie festival in Phuket. The vegetarian fiesta started way back in the 19th century. It is believed that a group of Chinese who were performing on the Island got ill with the dreadful malaria disease. By sticking to a strict vegetarian diet, they survived the deadly disease. For this, they were grateful and held a ceremony to celebrate their recovery and honor the gods. The festival is held to date.
The main building of Jui Tui shrine is an attraction itself. The main entrance archway is decorated with green ornaments blending perfectly with the red tiles and eaves. The rooftop design is also spectacular. It is ornamented with sixteen jade green adornments and two deities on each side. On the teak entrance doors are fine carvings of guardians who stand alert guarding the entrance and are quite striking.
In the middle of the main altar is a prominent image of Tean Hu Huan Soy, the god associated with actors and performers. A statue of a dog on one side and chicken on the other accompany the image and were his favorite pets.
A recently built building is an eye-catching firecracker house that was added in 2011. It comprises of a large red square body designed with a double tied roof. Gold carvings and dragons sitting at the corners are some of the features showing sophisticated workmanship that has been put in this arresting building.
Ever heard of fortune sticks? Jui Tui Shrine is one of the places where you can know what your future holds for you. Shake a bamboo cup with fortune sticks and fetch only one stick. It has a number and you should collect a matching fortune paper from a nearby red cabinet and see what's written.
