By Leonard Chan, Cynthia Chin-Lee, and Sharon Chan

It’s time for our 2023 installment of our AAPI related summer travel series (See our prior year articles for our past suggestions - 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2021, and 2022). As note in last year’s article, our older articles in the series have a lot of broken links. So before you click on any of them just try doing a Google search for the place. I believe most of the places still exist and are worth checking out, especially the AAPI museums. They can use your support.

Chinatown Friendship Arch, Washington, D.C.

By Cynthia Chin-Lee, author “Almond Cookies and Dragon Well Tea,” “Amelia to Zora: Twenty-Six Women Who Changed the World,” and other books

Nestled in the heart of downtown Washington, D.C., stands a vibrant symbol of cultural exchange and friendship: the Chinatown Friendship Arch. Rising majestically above H Street Northwest, this arch serves as a gateway to the city's historic Chinatown neighborhood in my hometown of DC. Adorned with bright yellow tiles and painted in vivid blue, red, and gold, the imposing traditional arch stands 48 feet high and 75 feet wide stretching over H Street NW near 7th Street and the Chinatown/Gallery Place Metro station.

The idea for the archway was first proposed in 1984, when Washington, D.C. Mayor Marion Barry visited Beijing. Barry and Beijing Mayor Chen Xitong signed an agreement declaring the two cities as sister cities, and they agreed to jointly fund the construction of the archway.

The archway was designed by local architect Alfred H. Liu. Liu's design was inspired by traditional Chinese architecture, and it features seven pagoda-like roofs, 272 painted dragons, and gold foil decorations. I had a personal connection to the arch because I introduced my former colleague John S.M. Chen, an architect trained in China, to my father William Chin-Lee, M.D. who had his medical practice in DC Chinatown.

My dad was involved in several Chinatown building projects with Alfred Liu. They had both worked on the Wah Luck Senior Housing project and were also collaborating on the Far East Trade Center (never built) in Chinatown. Alfred Liu recruited John S.M. Chen, who then moved from California to Washington, D.C. to help with the design of the Friendship Arch. John and I both worked for Clement Chen and Associates in San Francisco, a development company that designed and helped build the Jianguo Hotel in Beijing. Chen later became a professor of architecture at Howard University (alma mater to our current Vice President Kamala Harris.)

The archway was constructed over a seven-month period by a team of Chinese craftsmen who were brought to Washington, D.C. by the city government. Due to visa delays, the craftsmen came later than planned and building the arch during the chilly fall months may have weakened the mortar that holds the tiles in place. The Friendship Archway was dedicated in November 1986 and went through restoration in 2009.

The archway has become a popular tourist destination and a symbol of the friendship between the United States and China. However, the arch has had its share of controversy because of the politics among the People’s Republic of China, Taiwan, and the United States. Taiwan has long been an ally to the U.S. and a supporter of the Chinese community in Washington, D.C. When the arch project was announced, many long-time Chinatown residents and groups, who had a strong relationship to Taiwan, opposed the building of the arch and some wanted to build a second arch. The second arch never came to fruition.

Over the years, the Friendship Arch has served as a focal point for numerous celebrations and cultural events. The annual Chinese New Year celebration, with its lively lion dances, firecrackers, martial arts demonstrations, and noisy drum and gong performances, culminates at the arch, creating a spectacle that draws thousands of spectators each year. It has become an iconic landmark, not just for the Chinese community, but for the city as a whole.

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Yamashiro Restaurant and Garden (Yamashiro Historic District)

By Leonard Chan

I first learned of this location while working on the book “Public Japanese Gardens in the USA: Present and Past: Southern California” with author David M. Newcomer.

David’s books were filled with interesting places and I could have listed dozens of locations from them for this article (stay tuned for future June articles :). This location was one of the places that I had a chance to actually visit in 2011.

One of the things that I learned while working on David Newcomer’s books was the fascination some wealthy Americans had with all things Asian. For two Jewish German Americans (Eugene and Adolph Bernheimer), they built two lavish Japanese style mansions and gardens that would even be opened for tours by thousands of visitors each week.

Their first Japanese mansion was called Yamashiro and was built in the Hollywood Hills. Although this site may be seen as faux Asian, the house was authentically built by Japanese craftsmen and most likely was maintained by Japanese gardeners and nursery workers that lived throughout California.

One of the fascinating elements to the garden is a 600-year-old pagoda that was imported from Japan. It is situated at a vantage point where you can frame Los Angeles and Hollywood in the distance and below, behind the pagoda. The view can be pretty impressive on a clear night.

Over the years, this site has changed hands several times and is now a hotel and restaurant.

After reading some articles on the Bernheimers (Yamashiro: The mountain palace built by Jews; La La Landscapes: Yamashiro, The Bernheimer Residence and Gardens, Hollywood, 1914) and rereading David Newcomer’s description, I began to see how this site intersects with Jewish, German, Japanese, and even Chinese American history. As favorability of these various groups waxed and waned, so too did the Yamashiro.

Although Adolph Bernheimers’ grander estate in Pacific Palisades (A Tourist Mecca That Geology Helped Obliterate ; Image / Bernheimer Garden, Pacific Palisades) is now lost, Yamashiro still stands. Through wars and racist periods, this site survived.

Here are some historic photos of Yamashiro, and the websites for the restaurant and hotel.

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The City Ruins of Nan Madol

By Leonard Chan

I wasn’t sure whether to include this location or not. It’s on an Island in the Federated States of Micronesia, which is no longer a part of the United States and is most likely a place that none of us would ever visit.

I found this location by looking at the US National Park Service’s website. Even though this Pacific Island is not part of the United States, the city ruins are listed on the US National Register of Historic Places and are designated a US National Historic Landmark District.

Part of the reason why I am writing about this location is that the city is like some place I would imagine the fictional movie character Indiana Jones would romp around in. Since there is a new Indiana Jones movie coming out soon, I thought you might find it interesting to read about a real remote place that you could maybe add to your bucket list of places to visit.

I won’t go into too much about the location, but it is often referred to as the “Venice of the Pacific,” a Venice that has been abandoned since the 18th century. Filled with temples, canals, and mystifying architecture that seems to float on water, it’s best to check this place out before the coral reef it sits on is destroyed by climate change.

Here are the two articles you can read about Nan Madol –

US National Park Service article

Wikipedia article

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Filipino Community Hall of Delano and Agbayani Village (The Filipino Farm Worker Movement)

By Sharon Chan

In the 1920’s and 1930’s, Filipino immigrants came to the U.S. and many found work on farms. They faced discrimination and harsh labor practices and were persecuted resulting in beatings and bombings of Filipino labor camps. To combat harsh working conditions and discrimination in wages, they formed unions and organized strikes throughout the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s and began winning significant improvements. On September 8, 1965 the Filipino Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee (AWOC) organized a strike against the grape growers in Delano, California demanding to be paid the federal minimum wage. One of the leaders, Larry Itliong reached out to Cesar Chavez of the Mexican American National Farmworkers Association to support the strike. Eventually the two unions merged to form the United Farm Workers Union. The strike lasted 5 years and resulted in collective bargaining agreements that improved the lives of over 10,000 farm workers.

There are two sites in Delano that are being considered to be included into the National Park Service. They are the Filipino Community Hall of Delano where meetings took place and the Agbayani Village where aging Filipino farmworkers could live out their remaining years.

Gurdwara Sahib Sikh Temple

By Sharon Chan

The Gurdwara Sahib Sikh Temple in Stockton is the first Sikh house of worship in the United States. It was established on October 24, 1912 by Jawala Singh and Wasakha Singh in what was once a farm that had a room reserved for the Sri Guru Granth Sahib (Holy Book) and another room where Punjabi farmers could come to pray. The congregation later formed the Pacific Coast Khalsa Diwan Society and bought the lot on 1930 Grant Street to build a wooden structure that is the current Gurdwara.

It is a hub for social and political life for South Asian pioneers. Jawala Singh established scholarships for students in India of all religions to attend UC Berkeley. One of the people that they sponsored was Dalip Singh Saund, who would later become the first Sikh and the first Asian American to be elected to the US House of Representatives.

Jawala Singh also recruited Punjabi farmers in California to return to India in 1914 to fight against the British. The Punjabi farmers also established the first Punjabi language press in the U.S. It is a California landmark.

Sikh’s are known for sharing free communal meals even with strangers. So drop by and get to know them.