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Dragon Gate and its Surprising History

You can't come to SF Chinatown and leave out Dragon Gate, aka the Chinatown Gate, at the corner of Bush and Grant. But do you know its history? 

Chinatown Gate, aka Dragon Gate, San Francisco

Dragon Gate (aka Chinatown Gate, aka Dragon's Gate) was designed by Clayton Lee and others in 1967 in response to a mayoral competition, and his was the winning entry. Originally two gates were proposed, but the other gate leading to Barbary Coast was dropped due to lack of funds, and cost overrun. 

The gate itself was designed after a Chinese "pailou 牌樓" or "paifang 牌坊", which were the "gates" that marked separate fang 坊, or "ward" within a city. However, later it evolved into a purely decorative element. As with tradition, the gate faces South, and is composed of a large gate with two smaller side gates. 

The gate has a lot of its materials donated by Taiwan (Republic of China) including artisanal tiles, roofing, and the two guardian lions. Despite this, the gate was still heavily overbudget when it was finished in 1969. However, it took over a year for the dedication to take place to ensure the Vice President of ROC could attend. The gate was finally dedicated on October 18, 1970 with a parade and more. 

The Dragon Gate of San Francisco became the first "permanent" Chinatown Gate installed in the US, but there was actually an earlier one. The "West Gate" of Los Angeles Chinatown was actually erected all the way back in 1934, but it was made of wood and not considered a permanent fixture. 

The two stone guardian lions are considered a couple. The male, with right paw on a giant pearl, is the outward guardian, and is on the west side of the gate. The female, with the left pawl on a smaller lion, is the inward guardian, and is on the east side of the gate. 

Prefer to watch a short video? 



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About the author

Kasey is a professional tour guide and amateur historian who specialized in Chinatown History and Tours. You will often find him guiding groups sampling delicious food and learning interesting historical tidbits about Chinatown most weekends.

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