Chinatown gates to mark historic district
By Shayna Coleon
Advertiser Staff Writer
Two 12-feet-high entrance gates symbolic of good luck, prosperity and Chinese culture will greet pedestrians strolling into Chinatown on King Street by next month, the result of a city vision team project.
Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser
The gateways, in the final stages of completion, are part of a major plan to revitalize Chinatown, said Salvatore Lanzilotti, a facilitator of the Ala Moana/Kaka'ako/Downtown/Chinatown Vision Community.
Two entrance gates to Chinatown along King Street are in the final stages of completion, part of a vision team project to help refurbish the district.
A monument sign still needs to be put up, and the pillars will be painted red and surrounded by coiled golden dragons, he said.
For more than two years the downtown vision team has been planning the project with officials from the Honolulu Chinese Chamber of Commerce and other local Chinese societies. It even had a local feng shui expert come examine the site to make sure the gateways were accurate and acceptable .
By next July, plaques of the eight Chinese Immortals — mythical Taoist figures who learned the secrets of nature and became immortal — will be placed on the bridge over Nu'uanu River.
"There are two basic ideas the team focused on," said Lanzilotti, who is also director of the city's Emergency Services Department. "One is the cultural identity of Chinatown that they wanted to maintain, and the other was the economic development that they wanted to stimulate and refurbish in the area."
City spokeswoman Carol Costa said the gates, monument sign and landscaping cost $264,668 of the vision team's $2 million from the city.
The gateways on the 'ewa side of the bridge by the Nu'uanu River feature a pagoda from mainland China made of jade-colored tiles. The red and gold of the gateways themselves will represent Chinese traditions, said Dr. Joseph Young, a retired dentist from the Lung Doo Benevolent Society and director of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce.
"When they were planning it, they left it up to us to give our input," Young said. "We wanted to make people recognize Chinatown and give them an idea that you are entering Chinatown."
He added that many other Chinatowns throughout the Mainland have similar gateways.
"You go to all the Chinatowns — in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston — and they all have a gate," Young said. "Now we can have one too."
Mayor Jeremy Harris called them a great addition to welcome people into a historic part of the city, and "really a small part of the master plan."
Harris said the city also was working on a redevelopment plan to improve sidewalks, add more anti-crime cameras and install new streetlights in the next few years as part of the vision project.
Lanzilotti said the lights and overall improvements would make Chinatown a viable, safe attraction for tourists and residents who want a historical and cultural experience.
"People like to venture out," Lanzilotti said. "Once they venture further to Chinatown, they can get that flavor that is unique only to our area."
Reach Shayna Coleon at scoleon@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8004.
