Female  Buddhist  Pioneer ., following  a major development project which began in 2003, Poh Ern Shih became the first religious building in the country to incorporate both eco-friendly and elderly-friendly features. Together with its partner, the Buddhist Fellowship, the temple conducts programmes such as Dharma talks, Sutta discussions and meditation courses in Chinese and English for the Buddhist community.

Pitt Chin Hui (1906—1981) was born to a wealthy family in Guangzhou, China. She was the youngest child of the family, and was taken by her mother to Penang to receive her early education. In 1924, she sat for the Senior Cambridge Examination, and while waiting for the examination results she became an English teacher at the Fujian Girls' School. In 1927, she left for further studies at the Zhongshan University in Guangzhou. However, she terminated her tertiary studies and returned to Penang when her mother became seriously ill. While in Penang, she attended Dharma lectures by Venerable Taixu and his disciple, Venerable Cihang, at the Kek Lok Si Temple. Pitt subsequently became one of Cihang's disciples, and studied under him. She was responsible for setting up the Maha Bodhi School in Penang and Singapore (1946), to promote Buddhist education to the young. Along with her school duties, Pitt was also an active voluntary worker in the Buddhist community.^[9]

In December 1959, Pitt embarked on the task of translating the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Sutra from Chinese to English at Poh Ern Shih, so that it would be accessible to the English-educated. Venerable Sumangalo assisted Pitt in her translation tasks, as well as offering suggestions for improving the English version. In 1964, Pitt was awarded the Public Service Star—BBM (Bintang Bakti Masharakat)—by Encik Yusof bin Ishak, the First President of the Republic of Singapore. In 1973, she was appointed as Justice of the Peace by the Second President Dr. Benjamin Henry Sheares. Pitt Chin Hui was also a Vice-President of the World Fellowship of Buddhists. She died in 1981 while on a trip in India.^[9]