Dragon Gate (San Francisco)

Last updated
Dragon Gate
1 chinatown san francisco arch gateway.JPG
The gate in 2010
Dragon Gate (San Francisco)
37°47′27″N122°24′20″W / 37.7907°N 122.4056°W / 37.7907; -122.4056
LocationStraddling Grant just north of Bush, San Francisco
DesignerClayton Lee, Melvin Lee, and Joseph Yee
Beginning dateAugust 1968
Completion dateMay 1970
Opening dateOctober 18, 1970;53 years ago (1970-10-18)

The Dragon Gate ("Chinatown Gate" on some maps) is a south-facing gate at the intersection of Bush Street and Grant Avenue, marking a southern entrance to San Francisco's Chinatown, in the U.S. state of California. Built in 1969 as a gift from the Republic of China (Taiwan) in the style of a traditional Chinese pailou, [1] it became one of the most photographed locations in Chinatown, along with the older Sing Fat and Sing Chong buildings (at Grant and California).

Contents

History

Temporary gates in San Francisco

The Chinese pavilion at the Panama–Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco featured a temporary paifang in 1915. [2] A temporary "Imperial Dragon Gate" was erected across Grant at Clay for the 1941 Rice Bowl Party, a celebration and parade to raise funds for war relief in China. [3] [4] Rice Bowl fundraisers had previously been held in 1938 [5] [6] [7] and 1940. [8] Several temporary "victory arches" were erected in March 1943 to welcome Soong Mei-ling to Chinatown. [9] [10]

Tourism

In 1953, the Chinese Chamber of Commerce sponsored a bilingual essay contest on how to improve Chinatown business, in the wake of an U.S. embargo on mainland China imports after the People's Republic of China entered the Korean conflict. The winner of the English division, Charles L. Leong, suggested in his essay, among many things, the erection of an authentic archway to Chinatown at Bush and Grant. [11] A later report from 1963 proposing general plans for the downtown area noted that "north of Bush Street, Grant Avenue, to the casual observer and the visitor, is Chinatown", establishing the site's suitability. [12]

In 1956, the Chinatown Improvement Committee, appointed by Mayor George Christopher, made the archway its top priority; [11] :148–151 the proposal initially included two gates: one at Grant and Bush for Chinatown, and another at Pacific and Kearny for the Barbary Coast red-light district. [13] Two design drawings were shown in December 1956. [14] An early effort to build a gate which started in 1958 [15] was suspended in 1961 after funds and materials ran short, [16] then abandoned in 1962. [17] The budget for both gateways (Chinatown and Barbary Coast) was initially $50,000 each, but the San Francisco Arts Commission killed the Barbary Coast proposal and reduced the budget to $35,000 in 1961. [13] [18] The gate was redesigned in 1963 by Lun Chan, Worley Wong, Morton Rader, and Piero Patri as part of a more ambitious plan to link Chinatown and North Beach via a pedestrian mall and bridge. [15]

Design contest

 "This Gateway appears to favor the pedestrian ... it has an intriguing quality of openness so that one sees the colorful flow of pedestrians and the shops beyond."

  Jury's comments,quoted in October 1967 Architecture/West article [19]

In 1967 Mayor John F. Shelley, who had succeeded Christopher, decided to spur interest by sponsoring a design competition with a budget of $70,000, [13] open to architects of Chinese descent. [20] The contest was won [21] by a team of three Chinese-Americans, architect Clayton Lee of San Mateo, with landscape architects Melvin H. Lee and Joseph Yee, [13] [22] who were inspired by Chinese village architecture of ceremonial gates. [23] [24]

There were more than twenty entrants in the contest, judged by a jury of five architects: [21] Thomas D. Church, Worley Wong, Charles Griffith, and Morton Rader, with Merrill Jew serving as a professional advisor. Second place went to a team of Roger Lee, Daryl Roberson, and Eugene Lew; third to George Meu. [19]

Construction and dedication

The official groundbreaking ceremony was held in October 1967, but construction did not begin until August 1968. [22] "Extensive modifications" were required to existing utilities. [20] Materials for the gateway, namely 120 artisanal ochre tiles, roofing, and the guardian lions, were fabricated and donated by the Republic of China (Taiwan) in 1969. [11] :252 [20] [25] [26] The project was funded by San Francisco at a cost exceeding $75,000, more than double the original $35,000 budget; [22] the Department of Public Works later reported the construction contract, let to Moreau Construction, was completed at a cost of US$90,889.15(equivalent to $755,000 in 2023). [20] The ceramic tiles donated by Taiwan were valued at $45,000. [27]

Construction was delayed by bad weather and the relocation of underground utilities. Although the gateway was largely completed by April 1969, [22] it was not dedicated until October 18, 1970, marked by a 12-mile long (0.80 km) parade and ceremony attended by a crowd of 3,000, including approximately 50 protesters who denounced the government of Taiwan and the funding of "Moon Gates for Tourists" rather than housing. [13] [27] Mayor Joseph Alioto and Vice-President Yen Chia-kan of the Republic of China (Taiwan) attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony, [11] :151–152 [23] along with former mayors Robinson and Shelley. [27] It is the first permanent ceremonial gate to be installed in the United States. [2]

Restoration and current status

The gateway was restored in 1995; work included replacement of roof tiles, upgrading lights, repairing broken steps, installing hand rails, and cleaning and painting. [28]

In 2005, a private effort was proposed to construct a second gate for the northern entrance to Chinatown, at Broadway and Grant. Wilma Pang is credited for the idea of a second gate, inspired by temporary gateways across Commercial for the annual Mid-Autumn Festival starting in 2001. [29]

Design

Chinese Lion at the Chinatown Gate.jpg
Male lion (west portal)
Lion by Chinatown Gate (18124233650).jpg
Female lion (east portal)
Chinese guardian lions at Dragon Gate

The Dragon Gate, with its inscription by Sun Yat-sen, has been described as the Republic of China (Taiwan) government's "symbolic claim to Chinatown", before the People's Republic of China gained more influence in Chinatown following Nixon's 1972 visit to China and further normalization of US-China relations. [1]

Like most Chinese ceremonial gates, the Dragon Gate has three portals facing south. The two smaller west and east (pedestrian) portals flank the larger central (automotive) portal, and the structure is supported on stone columns rising from the sidewalks on either side of Grant. The stone columns adhere to standards for Chinese gateways; [23] [24] in contrast, most 'Chinese' gateways constructed in the United States use wooden support columns. [30] Each portal is covered with green tiles, leading north along Grant Avenue into Chinatown.

Three shallow steps lead up to each pedestrian portal. Each pedestrian portal features a stone Chinese guardian lion on the side away from the street. By tradition, the lion pair consists of one male and one female. The male lion, at the west portal, stands with his right fore paw atop a pearl or stone, symbolically guarding the structure or empire. The female lion, at the east portal, stands with her left fore paw atop a juvenile lion, symbolically guarding the occupants within. [23] There are also fish and dragons atop the gate; the fish symbolize prosperity, while the dragons symbolize power and fertility. Between the dragons is a ball, symbolizing the Earth. [31] The lions were cast and carved in Taiwan. [20]

Dragon Gate, Chinatown, SF 3 (cropped).JPG
West portal
(信義和平)
Sign - Center Gate.jpg
Center portal
(天下為公)
Dragon Gate, Chinatown, SF 2 (cropped east portal).JPG
East portal
(忠孝仁愛)
Chinese signs, to be read right to left, above the three portals at Dragon Gate

There are four Chinese characters above each portal. Each sign is read from right to left. The central portal sign reads Chinese :天下為公; pinyin :tiānxià wèi gōng; lit.'All under heaven is for the good of the people' (a motto attributed to Dr. Sun Yat-sen); [23] the two gates bear signs with the eight virtues: the east portal sign reads 忠孝仁愛; zhōngxiào rén'ài; 'respect (filial piety)', 'love'; and the west reads 信義和平; xìnyì hépíng; 'integrity (confidence)', 'peace'. [32]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chinatown</span> Ethnic enclave of expatriate Chinese persons

Chinatown is the catch-all name for an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania, and the Americas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chinatown, San Francisco</span> Neighborhood in California, United States

The Chinatown centered on Grant Avenue and Stockton Street in San Francisco, California, is the oldest Chinatown in North America and one of the largest Chinese enclaves outside Asia. It is also the oldest and largest of the four notable Chinese enclaves within San Francisco. Since its establishment in the early 1850s, it has been important and influential in the history and culture of ethnic Chinese immigrants in North America. Chinatown is an enclave that has retained its own customs, languages, places of worship, social clubs, and identity.

<i>Paifang</i> Traditional style of Chinese architectural arched gateway

A paifang, also known as a pailou, is a traditional style of Chinese architecture, often used in arch or gateway structures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chinatown, Oakland, California</span> Neighborhood of Oakland in Alameda, California, United States

The Chinatown neighborhood in Oakland, California, is traditionally Chinese which reflects Oakland's diverse Chinese American, and more broadly Asian American community. It is frequently referred to as "Oakland Chinatown" in order to distinguish it from nearby San Francisco's Chinatown. It lies at an elevation of 39 feet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wah Ching</span> Chinese American gang

Wah Ching is a Chinese American criminal organization and street gang that was founded in San Francisco, California in 1964. The Wah Ching has been involved in crimes including narcotic sales, racketeering, and gambling.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kearny Street</span> Street in San Francisco

Kearny Street in San Francisco, California runs north from Market Street to The Embarcadero. Toward its south end, it separates the Financial District from the Union Square and Chinatown districts. Further north, it passes over Telegraph Hill, interrupted by a gap near Coit Tower.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chinatown, Victoria</span> Oldest Chinatown in Canada located in Victoria, British Columbia

The Chinatown in Victoria, British Columbia is the oldest Chinatown in Canada and the second oldest in North America after San Francisco. Victoria's Chinatown had its beginnings in the mid-nineteenth century in the mass influx of miners from California to what is now British Columbia in 1858. It remains an actively inhabited place and continues to be popular with residents and visitors, many of whom are Chinese-Canadians. Victoria's Chinatown is now surrounded by cultural, entertainment venues as well as being a venue itself. Chinatown is now conveniently just minutes away from other sites of interests such as the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre, Bay Centre, Empress Hotel, Market Square, and others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Francisco Chinese New Year Festival and Parade</span> Public celebration of the Chinese New Year

The San Francisco Chinese New Year Festival and Parade is an annual event in San Francisco, California, United States. Held for approximately two weeks following the first day of the Chinese New Year, it combines elements of the Chinese Lantern Festival with a typical American parade. First held in 1851, along what are today Grant Avenue and Kearny Street, it is the oldest and one of the largest events of its kind outside of Asia, and one of the largest Asian cultural events in North America. The parade route begins on Market Street and terminates in Chinatown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chinese Culture Center</span> Non-profit organization in San Francisco

The Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco is a community-based, non-profit organization established in 1965 as the operations center of the Chinese Culture Foundation located in Hilton San Francisco Financial District, at 750 Kearny Street, 3rd Floor, San Francisco, California, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old St. Mary's Cathedral</span> Historic church in California, United States

The Old Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception is a proto-cathedral and parish of the Roman Catholic Church located at 660 California Street at the corner of Grant Avenue in the Chinatown neighborhood of San Francisco, California. It was built in 1854 in the Gothic Revival style, and was made a Designated San Francisco Landmark on April 11, 1968.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barbary Coast Trail</span> Marked trail in San Francisco, US

The Barbary Coast Trail is a marked trail that connects a series of historic sites and several local history museums in San Francisco, California. Approximately 180 bronze medallions and arrows embedded in the sidewalk mark the 3.8-mile (6.1 km) trail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chinatowns in the United States</span> Ethnic Chinese enclaves in the United States

Chinatowns are enclaves of Chinese people outside of China. The first Chinatown in the United States was San Francisco's Chinatown in 1848, and many other Chinatowns were established in the 19th century by the Chinese diaspora on the West Coast. By 1875, Chinatowns had emerged in eastern cities such as New York City, Boston, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia. The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 barred Chinese immigration to the United States, but the Magnuson Act of 1943 repealed it, and the population of Chinatowns began to rise again.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chinatown, Baltimore</span> Neighborhood of Baltimore in Maryland, United States

The U.S. city of Baltimore, Maryland is home to a small Chinatown. Historically, Baltimore had at least two districts that were called "Chinatown" where the first one existed on the 200 block of Marion Street during the 1880s. A second and current location is at the 300 block of Park Ave., which was dominated by laundries and restaurants. The initial Chinese population came because of the transcontinental railroad, however, the Chinese population never exceeded 400 as of 1941. During segregation, Chinese children were classified as "white" and went to the white schools. Chinatown was largely gone by the First World War due to urban renewal. Although Chinatown was largely spared from the riots of the 1960s, most of the Chinese residents moved to the suburbs. As of 2009, the area still shows signs of blight and does not have a Chinese arch. As of 2017, the area has become an “immigration hub” for Ethiopian people. In 2018, a mural of a Chinese dragon and an African lion was painted to signify the past as a Chinatown and the present as an African neighborhood. A night market in September 2018 marked the first Asian celebration of the area to an area that was “long forgotten and neglected”.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chinatown station (Muni Metro)</span> Subway station in San Francisco, California, US

Chinatown station is an underground Muni Metro light rail station, located under Stockton Street at Washington Street in the Chinatown neighborhood of San Francisco, California. It opened on November 19, 2022, as part of the Central Subway project. The station's official name honors Rose Pak, a political activist in the Chinatown community who helped secure support and funding for the station and the extension of the T Third Street line.

<i>Chinatown Gateway</i> Paifang and sculpture in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

Chinatown Gateway is an outdoor paifang and sculpture which serves as an entrance to Portland, Oregon's Old Town Chinatown neighborhood, in the United States. The gate was proposed by the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association in 1984. Architect Yu Tang Wang and artist Sun Chau completed the gate's design, which was built by Ting Hwa Architects in Taiwan. It was then shipped to Portland and installed in one week before being dedicated in November 1986. It cost $256,000 and was the largest of its kind in the United States until one in Washington, D.C. was completed several months later.

Dragon Gate may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ping Yuen</span> Public housing complex in San Francisco, California, US

Ping Yuen and North Ping Yuen form a four-building public housing complex in the north end of Chinatown, San Francisco along Pacific Avenue. In total, there are 434 apartments. The three Pings on the south side of Pacific were dedicated in 1951, and the North Ping Yuen building followed a decade later in 1961. Some of the largest murals in Chinatown are painted on Ping Yuen, which are prominent landmark buildings taller than the typical two- or three-story Chinatown buildings that date back to the early 1900s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hilton San Francisco Financial District</span> Hotel in San Francisco, California

The Hilton San Francisco Financial District is a skyscraper hotel located east across Kearny Street from Portsmouth Square on the border between the Financial District and Chinatown neighborhoods of San Francisco, California. It opened in 1971 on the site formerly occupied by the San Francisco Hall of Justice, which had served as the headquarters of the San Francisco Police Department until 1961. The Chinese Culture Center leases approximately 20,000 sq ft (1,900 m2) within the building for rotating exhibitions at a nominal cost due to lobbying from the local Chinese-American community.

Mister Jiu's is a Michelin-starred Chinese restaurant in Chinatown, San Francisco. It specializes in Cantonese cuisine blended with modern Californian twists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portsmouth Square pedestrian bridge</span> Bridge in Chinatown, San Francisco, California

The Portsmouth Square pedestrian bridge is a prominent architectural landmark in Chinatown, San Francisco that spans over Kearny Street from Portsmouth Square to the second floor and third floor of the Hilton San Francisco Financial District hotel, which houses the Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco.

References

  1. 1 2 Lei, D. (2016). Operatic China: Staging Chinese Identity Across the Pacific. Springer. ISBN   978-1-137-06163-8.
  2. 1 2 Allen-Kim, Erica (Spring 2013). "The Political Economy of Chinatown Gates". Pidgin. No. 15. Princeton University School of Architecture. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  3. "Crowd of people gathered for the Rice Bowl Party in Chinatown". San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library. May 3, 1941. Archived from the original on 20 May 2021. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  4. "Lion, Dragon To Aid China". Sausalito News. April 27, 1941. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  5. "'Rice For Bowls Of China' Theme Of Carnival In Local Chinatown Friday For Benefit Of Civilian Refugees". The New World-Sun Daily. June 17, 1938. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  6. Abe, Victor (June 19, 1938). "Chinese 'Rice Bowl' fete packs streets; Japanese tradespeople close early". The New World-Sun Daily. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  7. "Rice Bowl Party Draws Throng". San Pedro News-Pilot. June 20, 1938. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  8. "Helps Fill China's Rice Bowl". The Healdsburg Tribune and Enterprise. February 19, 1940. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  9. "Greet Mme Kai-Shek". Madera Tribune. March 25, 1943. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  10. "Madame Chiang Kai-Shek touring Chinatown". San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library. March 25, 1943. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Wu, Ellen D (2015). "Deghettoizing Chinatown: race and space in postwar America". In Bay, Mia; Fabian, Ann (eds.). Race and retail: consumption across the color line. Rutgers University Press. pp. 141–162. ISBN   978-0-8135-7172-0. Archived from the original on 2019-04-17. Retrieved 2019-04-17.
  12. Ciampi, Mario (September 1963). Downtown San Francisco: General plan proposals (Report). San Francisco Department of City Planning. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 Van Niekerken, Bill (October 13, 2020). "Chronicle Vault: How S.F.'s Dragon Gate came to stand at Grant Avenue and Bush Street". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on 18 April 2021. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  14. "Rev. T. T. Taam holding up preliminary drawings of Chinese archways". San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library. December 7, 1956. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  15. 1 2 "A New Gateway to Chinatown" . San Francisco Examiner. May 22, 1963. p. 4. Archived from the original on December 2, 2021. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
  16. "Chinatown Waits: Gateway Arch Delayed Again" . San Francisco Examiner, Sunday. May 21, 1961. p. 35. Archived from the original on December 2, 2021. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
  17. "Chinatown Gate 'Closed'" . San Francisco Examiner. April 20, 1962. p. 5. Archived from the original on December 2, 2021. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
  18. "Chinatown Wins an Arch, Barbary Coast Rejected". San Francisco Chronicle. 1961.
  19. 1 2 "Gateway to Chinatown—an award-winning design" . Architecture/West. October 1967. p. 8. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  20. 1 2 3 4 5 "Gateway to Chinatown". Annual Report (Report). Department of Public Works, City and County of San Francisco. June 30, 1969. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  21. 1 2 "Chinatown Gateway Selected: Designed by Architect Lee" . San Francisco Examiner, Sunday. March 26, 1967. p. 26.
  22. 1 2 3 4 "A Literal Gateway to Chinatown: Chinatown Gate Due in June" . San Francisco Examiner. April 2, 1969. p. 20. Archived from the original on December 2, 2021. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
  23. 1 2 3 4 5 Casey, Cindy (11 May 2012). "Chinatown – Gateway Arch". Public Art and Architecture from Around the World. Archived from the original on 11 March 2018. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
  24. 1 2 Bevk, Alex (24 July 2017). "Chinatown's Grant Avenue: A look back at one of San Francisco's oldest streets". Curbed San Francisco. Archived from the original on 12 March 2018. Retrieved 11 March 2018.
  25. Brinklow, Adam (28 July 2017). "Mapping 16 Chinatown landmarks and their history: #16 Dragon Gate". Curbed San Francisco. Retrieved 11 March 2018.
  26. "Chinatown, San Francisco, California". hiddenSF. Archived from the original on 12 March 2018. Retrieved 11 March 2018.
  27. 1 2 3 McKillips, Drew (October 19, 1970). "Opening a Gate To Chinatown". San Francisco Chronicle.
  28. Annual Report (Report). Department of Public Works, City and County of San Francisco. June 30, 1995. pp. 55, 66. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  29. Goodyear, Charlie (May 27, 2005). "Mate sought for ornamental gate on Grant". San Francisco Chronicle.
  30. "Shopping, dining and culture in San Francisco's Chinatown". San Francisco Travel. Archived from the original on 12 March 2018. Retrieved 11 March 2018.
  31. Fong-Torres, Shirley (1991). San Francisco Chinatown: a walking tour . China Books & Periodicals, Inc. p.  47. ISBN   9780835124362 . Retrieved 20 April 2020.
  32. "San Francisco sights: Chinatown Gate". Fodor's. Archived from the original on 11 March 2018. Retrieved 10 March 2018.