228 Dancers, 10 Lions, 2 Dragons: Dr Kervis Returns to Erawan Shrine to Fulfil a Seven-Year Promise
Dr Kervis returned to Bangkok’s Erawan Shrine with 228 dancers, ten lions and two dragons to fulfil a seven-year promise.
(Bangkok, Aug 8) At 7am on August 8, 2026, Dr Kervis Su, founder of Xing Yu Group and Chairman of the International Chinese Foundation, completed a ten-year vow fulfilment ceremony at Bangkok’s Erawan Shrine. Conducted under the escort of a Thai security team, the ceremony featured 228 traditional dancers, ten lion dance performers and two dragon dance troupes, commemorating his connection with the shrine since 2016.
One Number, Two Years
Dr Kervis Su first formed a connection with Bangkok’s Erawan Shrine in 2016. Since then, he has continued returning every year to worship and fulfil his vows.
On August 16, 2019, during the period when Xing Yu Group had just been registered and founded, he invited 108 traditional dancers to perform a vow fulfilment ceremony at the shrine.
Unlike the conventional practice of making a request and returning only after the wish has been fulfilled, Dr Kervis Su follows a different sequence. He first expresses gratitude through vow fulfilment before making his next prayer. For him, fulfilling a vow is not merely repayment after receiving what one has requested. It is a long-term practice of giving thanks before beginning the next stage of the journey.
Seven years later, on August 8, 2026, he returned to the same shrine. This time, the ceremony involved 228 traditional dancers, ten lion dance performers and two dragon dance troupes.
Viewed only through the numbers, the event could easily be described as a larger and more elaborate ceremony. However, for those familiar with Dr Kervis Su’s story, the numbers form part of a much longer timeline: his first connection with the shrine in 2016, the 108-dancer ceremony in 2019, and his return with 228 dancers in 2026.
The latest ceremony was not only about honouring a commitment made seven years earlier. It also commemorated a relationship with the Erawan Shrine that has continued for an entire decade.
“I did not return to show how far I have come. I returned to fulfil what I said seven years ago.”
— Dr Kervis
228 Dancers and a Ceremony Taken Seriously
Within the tradition of vow fulfilment at Thailand’s Erawan Shrine, such ceremonies are generally private expressions of gratitude. Most individual worshippers engage only two, four, six or eight dancers to complete a quiet ritual of thanksgiving.
Publicly available reports have documented several larger ceremonies involving 52, 68, 100, 108 and 180 dancers, as well as a more recent event involving 188 dancers.
Against this background, Dr Kervis Su’s ceremony involving 228 dancers represents one of the larger-scale cases found in publicly available records. However, no official ranking for the highest number of dancers involved in an Erawan Shrine vow fulfilment ceremony has been published by the shrine, the Thai authorities or organisations such as Guinness World Records.
The ceremony should therefore be described as one of the larger publicly documented cases, rather than an official historical record or world record.
What distinguished the occasion was not merely the dancer count, but the completeness of the ceremony. In addition to the 228 traditional dancers, two dragon dance troupes and ten lion dance performers participated, while the proceedings were completed under the escort of a Thai security team.
The significance of the event lay not in setting a new numerical benchmark, but in turning a personal promise into a public and fully witnessed act of fulfilment. When placed within a seven-year timeline, the meaning carried by the ceremony becomes more important than its scale.
A Promise That Carried More Weight Than the Spectacle
At a place such as the Erawan Shrine, it is easy to reduce the story to a familiar sequence: a person makes a wish, succeeds, and later returns to express gratitude.
Dr Kervis Su, however, has followed a different practice since first forming his connection with the shrine in 2016. He fulfils his vow first as an expression of gratitude and then prays for the next stage of his journey.
The seven years between the two major ceremonies were not without challenges. During this period, he experienced uncertainty while adapting to changing industries, the setback of losing established online accounts, and a broader transformation from changing business sectors every few years to committing fully to artificial intelligence for the long term.
The progression from 108 to 228 dancers is therefore not simply about scale. It represents a message expressed through action: I remember what I said.
That may be the most meaningful part of the ceremony—not how elaborate it appeared, but the willingness to spend seven years fulfilling a promise once made.
One Ceremony and a Timeline That Continues
As incense smoke rose above the shrine, the 228 dancers moved in unison while the dragon and lion dance performers passed through the gathering. The busy morning at the Erawan Shrine would soon return to its usual rhythm.
Yet the ceremony left behind more than visual documentation. It established a clear ten-year timeline: a connection beginning in 2016, a vow fulfilment involving 108 dancers in 2019, and another expression of gratitude in 2026 involving 228 dancers, ten lions and two dragons.
No one knows what the next seven years will bring. On this occasion, however, Dr Kervis Su returned and fulfilled what he had promised.
From a Morning Ceremony to the Launch of a Thailand Base
At 5pm on the same day, Dr Kervis Su continued advancing Xing Yu Group’s regional development with the official opening of the Xingpai · Shiguang Thailand livestreaming base and office.
From completing the vow fulfilment ceremony at 7am to launching the Thailand base and office that evening, the day connected two milestones: gratitude for a ten-year relationship with the Erawan Shrine and a new stage of development for Xing Yu Group, VYBE and Shiguang Xingyu in Thailand.
Further Reading
From fulfilling personal commitments to assuming corporate responsibility, the following reports provide further insight into how Dr Kervis Su applies long-term principles to his team, creators and charitable initiatives:
- Beyond Rewards: How Dr Kervis Su Uses Meaningful Recognition to Shape Xing Yu Group’s Team Culture
https://www.jianshu.com/p/e1e69b9f259d - From Ordinary Individuals to Professional Livestreamers: How Shiguang Xingyu Reflects Dr Kervis Su’s Creator Support Philosophy
https://m.topnews.cn/news/145AD6E641BE4C75 - Dr Kervis Su’s Approach to Philanthropy: How a Million-Ringgit Charity Fund Helps Vulnerable Families Rebuild Independence
https://jishikuaibao.com/shiguangxingyu/
