Asian Heritage Issue
Page 12 n THE ASIAN REPORTER
May 2, 2016
“Beyond the Gate: A Tale of Portland’s Historic
Chinatowns” highlights Portland’s hidden history
BEYOND THE GATE. “Beyond the Gate: A Tale
of Portland’s Historic Chinatowns,” a display of rare
and seldom-seen objects such as Chinese opera cos-
tumes, theatrical sets, interactive visitor stations, and
more that tell a sprawling transnational story of contact
and trade between China and the west, is on view
through June 21 at the Oregon Historical Society
Museum. Pictured are Chinese stores at Southwest
Second and Alder, circa 1885. (Photo courtesy of
the Oregon Historical Society, #bb002410)
By Kate Hubbard
The Asian Reporter
he Oregon Historical Society (OHS)
Museum presents us with well-
curated collections. Now through
June 21, Oregonians and visitors to the
museum are in for a treat. In addition to
“Chinese American: Exclusion/Inclusion,”
a travelling exhibit currently on view,
there is also “Beyond the Gate: A Tale of
Portland’s Historic Chinatowns,” a display
focusing on the unique and interesting
history of the area and its inhabitants.
It works well, how OHS organizes their
exhibits. They weave you in, enticing you
with fascinating bits of history. The
displays are richly sensorial and varied,
from the sumptuous example of the home
of a prosperous man to the image of
Portland’s Chinatown gate when it was
fresh and new.
In 1869, there were just 500 Chinese
living in Portland. By 1900, it was the
second-largest Chinatown in the country,
behind San Francisco. Portland’s China-
town was initially built on Second Avenue
between Burnside and Jefferson and only
later moved. OHS’s display allows visitors
to experience some of the sights, sounds,
and visual interest of this usually hidden
part of our city’s history. The exhibit will
enrich your life and expose views of the city
that some may not have known existed. It
fires the imagination and gives insight
into the people who formed Portland’s
Chinatowns.
In order to understand Portland’s
Chinatowns, it helps to learn about the
T
Portland, Oregon, Population, 1860-1900
Year
Total
1860
1863
1865
1867
1868
1869
1870
1880
1890
1900
2,874
4,794
6,068
6,717
7,980
8,928
9,565
17,577
46,385
90,426
Total
Chinese
22
53
200
324
388
500
720
1,612
4,539
7,841
Chinese
Male
17
49
143
208
256
329
500
1,547
-
-
Chinese
Female
5
4
57
116
132
171
220
65
-
-
Chinese
M:F Ratio
3.4:1
12.3:1
2.5:1
1.8:1
1.9:1
1.9:1
2.3:1
23.8:1
-
-
% Chinese to
Total Population
0.8
1.1
3.3
4.8
4.9
5.6
7.5
9.2
9.8
8.7
* Statistics compiled from Marie Rose Wong, Sweet Cakes, Long Journey: The
Chinatowns of Portland, Oregon (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2004)
history of the arrival of Chinese people in
the area. The displays introduce museum-
goers to how China, America, and Europe
first started to interact. A journey to
America from China would have been time
consuming (especially by modern aviation
standards), perilous, and expensive in the
19th century — needing strong motivation
to risk it. How did that start?
It began 800 years before the internet,
when Marco Polo’s journey of discovery
over the Silk Road in the 13th century
brought tales of tea, silks, opulence, and
the wealth of China to Europe. Europe
responded by launching into the Age of
Discovery. Generations of explorers still
compete to cover every last corner of the
planet.
While walking through the exhibit,
visitors learn about the arrival of the first
American ship to reach Guangzhou
(Canton City) in the 1700s and how trade
began between China and North America.
How when news of the American gold rush
hit Hong Kong in 1849, it spread like
wildfire. Men left their homes in search of
Gam Saan, or “Gold Mountain,” as
America was called.
The Chinese who landed on American
shores joined an international multicul-
tural flow of settlers. They worked in
numerous industries, becoming a vital and
important part of their new country. They
built roads, fished, farmed, mined, laid
Continued on page 15
My team. My possibility.
At the Port of Portland, we stand together, richer for our differences.
We celebrate the wisdom of collaboration and the strength of diversity.
www.portofportland.com