A threshold to Chinatown. A gateway from the homeland.

Erected in 1982, this was a cooperative project of Philadelphia and its Chinese sister city, Tianjin. China sent a team of architects and artisans and chipped in most of the materials. The structure is a ceremonial Chinese Gate towering 40 feet and brilliantly decorated with tiles and paintings.

With the sun behind the gate, one is struck by the transparency of the monument. You see birds and dragons, a large curving roof with a system of brackets. Lots of gold is used with many other colors: green, vivid blue, red and brown all combining to create an impression of energy, opulence and occasion. The large Chinese characters proclaim that this is Philadelphia Chinatown.

Cecilia Moy Yep, president of the PCDC, brought a ceramic lion from China in 1981 as a sample of decorative work for the Friendship Gate commissioned by PCDC. Mrs. Yep displayed the lion to help raise funds for the construction project.