Dragon Gate (San Francisco)

Dragon Gate
The gate in 2010
Location in San Francisco
Dragon Gate (San Francisco) (San Francisco Bay Area)
Coordinates 37°47′27″N 122°24′20″W / 37.7907°N 122.4056°W / 37.7907; -122.4056Coordinates: 37°47′27″N 122°24′20″W / 37.7907°N 122.4056°W / 37.7907; -122.4056
Location Straddling Grant just north of Bush, San Francisco
Designer Clayton Lee
Opening date October 18, 1970

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. It, along with the older Sing Fat and Sing Chong buildings (at Grant and California), is one of the most photographed locations in Chinatown.

History

Chinese-American architect Clayton Lee won the contest to design the gate, inspired by Chinese village architecture.[1][2] Materials for the gate were donated by the Republic of China.[3][4]

The gate was dedicated on October 18, 1970.[1]

Design

The gate has three portals, each covered with green tiles, leading north along Grant Avenue into Chinatown. The west and east (pedestrian) portals flank a 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;[1][2] in contrast, most 'Chinese' gateways constructed in the United States use wooden support columns.[5]

Male lion (west portal)
Female lion (east portal)
Chinese guardian lions at Dragon Gate

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.[1]

West portal
信義和平
Center portal
天下為公
East portal
忠孝仁愛
Signs above portals at Dragon Gate

There are four 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; literally: "All under heaven is for the good of the people" (a motto attributed to Dr. Sun Yat-sen);[1] 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; "trust (confidence); peace".[6]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Cindy (11 May 2012). "Chinatown – Gateway Arch". Public Art and Architecture from Around the World. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
  2. 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. Retrieved 11 March 2018.
  3. ↑ Brinklow, Adam (28 July 2017). "Mapping 16 Chinatown landmarks and their history: #16 Dragon Gate". Curbed San Francisco. Retrieved 11 March 2018.
  4. ↑ "Chinatown, San Francisco, California". hiddenSF. Retrieved 11 March 2018.
  5. ↑ "Shopping, dining and culture in San Francisco's Chinatown". San Francisco Travel. Retrieved 11 March 2018.
  6. ↑ "San Francisco sights: Chinatown Gate". Fodor's. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
  • Gateway to Chinatown (tourist information)
  • Dragon Gate, SF, 1970
  • Davis, Chelsea (January 2016). "Episode 192: Pagodas and Dragon Gates". 99% Invisible. Retrieved 11 March 2018.
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