History

Copyright by Marilyn MacGregor

The Friendship Gate has been sketched by Philadelphia-based artist Marilyn MacGregor as part of her “Favorite Sites & Favorite Places” series. You can see more of Ms. MacGregor’s colorful work of sites in Philadelphia at http://www.macgregor-art.com/philadelphia-art-prints.html

On June 14, 2013, the Philadelphia Historical Commission added the Chinese Cultural and Community Center to the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places. The Center stands at 125 N. 10th Street in Philadelphia.

The Commission explains: “Before the Friendship Gate was erected in 1984, the Chinese Cultural and Community Center stood as the single most iconic symbol of Philadelphia’s Chinatown. Behind an elaborate façade assembled from pieces of the Chinese Pavilion from the 1967 Montreal Expo, the center was an anchor for generations of Chinatown residents and the public face of the community for the rest of the city. The center evolved from a YMCA chapter established in 1955 by T.T. Chang, considered the unofficial “mayor” of Chinatown for his lifelong efforts in promoting Chinese culture in Philadelphia. Known for its collection of Chinese cultural artifacts, classes in language, cooking, and the arts, and for traditional New Years banquets, the Center suffered a period of slow decline after Chang’s death in 1996.” Go to their website

Kathryn Wilson wrote an essay on Philadelphia’s Chinatown, which you can read at the Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia, a project conducted at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Center at Rutgers University-Camden.

“Chinatown”by Kathryn Wilson

Chris Potter answered the question about whether there was an Asian influence in Pittsburgh’s history in the Pittsburgh City Paper.

“Was there an Asian influence in Pittsburgh’s history?“by Chris Potter, Pittsburgh City Paper, March 09, 2006

 Chao Long,  as a student at The Ellis School in Pittsburgh, wrote a very interesting paper describing the history of Pittsburgh’s Chinatown.

The paper appeared in The Concord Review, a journal which publishes academic research papers of secondary students. You can read the paper on the website of The Ellis School.

“From Chinese Immigration to Chinese American” by Chao Long.

Bucknell University Archives discovered a photo of Wong Chin Foo (1847-1898), who was the first Chinese student to study at the university, later founded America’s first association of Chinese voters and became a leader in the struggle for equal rights.

Heather Johns writes about the discovery of the photo.

Read an extended story about Wong Chin Foo by Scott D. Seligman in the Bucknell Magazine (Spring 2013) and see additional photographs. Bucknell Magazine Flipbook