nwasianweekly.com
Feb. 16, 2008

Photo by Rebecca Ip

(from right) The Historic Chinatown Gate Foundation fundraising chair, Faye Hong, architect Paul Wu, and community leader Michael Chen wait with scissors in hand for the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the grand unveiling of
the new Seattle Chinatown gate.

Lions and dragons and gates, oh my!

By Michelle Kang
Northwest Asian Weekly

You could hear the celebration before you saw it. At 10 a.m. Feb. 9, the International District was alive with sound, color and the unmistakable joy of a long-awaited vision turning into reality.

Rising above the crowds was the finally complete Chinatown Gate, a project that has been 50 years in the making.

Close to 1,000 people, including performers and media, came out for the Lunar New Year celebration, with events that lasted all day. But the moment of the day centered around the unveiling of the gate. Tuck Eng, president of the Historic Chinatown Gate Foundation, sounded both relieved and ecstatic in his opening statements at the celebration.

“It is a proud day for Chinatown,” he said.

The hourlong ceremony kicked off with a drum troupe, a drill team and not one but three lion dances. Women in traditional Chinese dress performed side-by-side with members of martial arts clubs. Normally a quiet street even on weekday afternoons, the celebration brought out a vibrant side of the neighborhood rarely seen. Police Officer Rich Zurcher commented, “It’s a lot more than I anticipated.”

His partner Willy Williams added, “It’s good for the community to have this. It’s the community reaching out to everyone. You can see whites, blacks and Asians in the crowd.”

But while the crowd was diverse, the dances and events were focused on highlighting traditional Chinese culture. As the celebration quieted down for a reflection on the hard work and effort that went into fundraising for the gate, the Historical Chinatown Gate Foundation gave thanks to the donors and volunteers who contributed.

Ming Zhang, senior vice president of the architecture firm MulvannyG2, was also honored in the unveiling ceremony. MulvannyG2 was the design architect, partnering with Paul Wu who was the project architect and construction coordinator. The inspiration for the gate was traditional Chinese architecture. In a phone interview, Zhang said, “I know a lot of people who live here are familiar with traditional Chinese architecture. So it is a great opportunity to show it, and to do it properly.”

Zhang, who was trained as an architect in China, consciously integrated many historical and cultural elements into the design of the gate. The design takes extreme care to make it authentic to the Xie-Shan roof style, Zhang explained. “Only a certain level of society can have this. It is the second highest standard style, and only the imperial or temple structures can have this,” he said. “The color is also accurate. I know a lot of other Chinatown gates use gold colors. In traditional culture, no one could use gold color because it’s a royal color. But only this style of roof can use gold. One hundred years ago, if you had this roof and you weren’t in the right class of society, you could go to jail.”

Besides its imperial roots, the gate is also unique in its 3-D quality. Zhang explained, “Traditional gates only have one row of columns. But this one is just like a building. It has a double row of columns, which make it more grand and also makes the structure stronger.”

Spectator Heather Daveno, of North Seattle, was impressed with the gate’s grandeur. She said, “I have seen the gates in Vancouver (British Columbia) and in San Francisco, but this is by far the best one on the coast. It has structure. Hopefully, it will bring a renewed interest in the International District, and prosperity, too.”

Ping Liu, of Hoven Foods at 508 S. King St., shared the same sentiment. Her comment on the new gate centered on increasing business. She said, in Chinese, “This is a highlight for Seattle because maybe more people will know about Chinatown after hearing about the gate and hearing more and more news. For business, this is important. As long as there are people, business will be good.”

Many of Washington’s highest public officials were also in attendance. Gov. Chris Gregoire put the significance of the Chinatown Gate in context in her comments: “This is the unveiling of the first-ever gate in the state of Washington. You all know how trade dependent Washington is. This gate is a symbol of what diversity means for us and for our economy. The International District is a big part of our state and also for our economy.”

King Country Executive Ron Sims was excited for a personal reason. He said, “I want my granddaughter who is half-Chinese and half-African American to look at this gate and be proud of who she is.”

Michelle Kang can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.

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