Chinatown Archway

The Chinatown Archway is also known as the Friendship Archway, it is the only remaining sign of the original character of the Chinatown. Chinatown is a historic neighborhood that consists of Chinese and Asian restaurants and businesses, the town is also known for the annual Chinese New Year festival.

Chinese immigrants started to populate the area which is now Chinatown in the 1930s. They decorated the area with metal latticework and Chinese signage. The area started to decline in the late 1960s due to riots, crime and taxes.

The Friendship Archway is a traditional Chinese gate that was designed by local architect Alfred H. Liu. It was dedicated in 1986 and is a colorful work of art that reaches 60 feet in height, includes 7 roofs, 272 painted dragons in the Ming and Qing Dynasty style and there are 7000 tiles on the archway. The archway was built to celebrate the cities sister city Beijing.

Unfortunately Chinatown is rarely visited as a tourist destination nowadays. The core of the neighborhood was demolished when the MCI Center was built in 1997. High real estate costs have also affected the neighborhood. A new Chinatown has arisen in Rockville, Maryland and is becoming very popular among visitors and the Chinese residents of Washington.