Chinatown Plazas and Alleys

The Chinatown Gateway Monument features two ornate, traditional Chinese-style portals spanning the street, topped with intricate blue-tiled roofs and colorful, hand-painted detailing. Constructed in nineteen thirty-eight, it served as the…

Far East Plaza features a distinct facade of faded, painted concrete with arched, red-framed windows that break the stark vertical lines of the building. Built in nineteen eighty, it replaced a collection of older structures to serve as an…

Chinatown Central Plaza is recognizable by the seven-foot-tall, neon-lit pagoda gate that anchors the southern entrance. This space opened in nineteen thirty-eight as the first pedestrian-focused mall in the United States, built because…

A seven-foot bronze figure of Bruce Lee stands in the heart of Central Plaza, frozen in a classic high-kick pose. The statue captures the martial artist exactly as he appeared in his final films, right down to the specific cut of his…

The Chinatown Wishing Well sits in the central plaza, built from stone and concrete in nineteen thirty-eight. It was part of the original design for New Chinatown, an effort to create a commercial space after the city leveled the old…

The red neon sign spelling out Phoenix Bakery glows above a storefront that has remained largely unchanged since nineteen seventy-seven. Inside, the glass display cases are filled with strawberry whipped cream cakes, a recipe Fung Chow…

The Foo-Chow Restaurant carries a bright yellow facade and a distinct, curved balcony that overlooks the street. Inside, the walls are covered in framed photographs of movie stars and film crews, marking the spot where scenes for the…

Chung King Road is a pedestrian alley lined with low-slung, stucco buildings painted in shades of imperial red and jade green. It was built in nineteen thirty-eight as a deliberate, theatrical recreation of a Chinese streetscape to replace…