The White Temple is the creation of Thai artist, Chalermchai Khositpipat who was born in 1951 in the village of Rong Khun in Chiang Rai province. The project is an act of faith by the internationally acclaimed artist who has invested large amounts of his own money to create the temple. Chalermchai’s aim is to make the temple one of the world’s greatest works of art and he wants visitors from around the world to enjoy the labour of love he has undertaken in his home village in his beloved Thailand. Work began on the new Wat Rong Khun temple in 1997, but the artist knows that there are still many years to go before the project is completed and he has made plans for work to continue in the event of his death.