Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
1
Chinatown
Gateway
Grant Ave at Bush St.
Map
5 C4.
@
2, 3, 30, 45.
This ornate portal, opened in
1970 and designed by Clayton
Lee, spans the entrance to
Chinatown's main tourist street,
Grant Avenue. Inspired by the
ceremonial entrances of
traditional Chinese villages,
the three-arched gateway is
capped with green roof tiles
and a host of propitiatory
animals - including two
dragons and two carp chasing
a large, round pearl - all
of glazed ceramic. Village
gateways are often
commissioned by
wealthy clans to
enhance their status,
and the names of
these benefactors are
inscribed on the gates.
This structure was
erected by a peculiarly
American institution,
the Chinatown
Cultural Development
Committee, with
materials that were donated by
the Republic of China (Taiwan).
It is guarded by two stone
lions suckling their cubs through
their claws, in accordance with
ancient lore. Once through the
gate, you find yourself among
some of the most elegant shops
in Chinatown. Here you can buy
antiques, silks, and gems, but
sometimes at high prices,
aimed at tourists.
The interior, with its stained-
glass windows and balcony,
was completed in 1909.
3
Kong Chow
Temple
4th floor, 855 Stockton St.
Map
5 B4.
Te l
788-1339.
@
1, 2, 3, 8X, 10, 12, 30,
45.
California St, Powell-Hyde,
Powell-Mason.
Open
9am-4pm daily.
Donations appreciated.
^
7
From the top floor above the
post office, the Kong Chow
Temple looks out over Chinatown
and the Financial
District. Although the
building dates only
from 1977, the
temple altar and
statuary are possibly
the oldest Chinese
religious shrine in
North America. One
altar was carved in
Guangzhou (Canton),
and shipped to San
Francisco in the 19th
century. The main
shrine is presided
over by a carved
wooden statue of Kuan Di, also
dating from the 19th century.
He is the deity most often found
in shrines in Cantonese cities.
Kuan Di is also frequently seen
in Chinatown: his distinctive face
looks down from Taoist shrines
in many Chinatown restaurants.
He is typically depicted with a
large sword in one hand and a
book in the other - symbols of
his dedication to both the
martial and the literary arts.
Entrance to Old St. Mary's Cathedral below the clock tower
old church were imported
from the East Coast, while
the granite foundation stones
came from China. The clock
tower bears a large inscription,
“Son, observe the time and fly
from evil,” said to have been
directed at the brothels that
stood across the street at the
time it was built. Though twice
damaged by fire, the church
today retains its original
foundations and walls.
2
Old St. Mary's
Cathedral
660 California St.
Map
5 C4.
Te l
288-
3800.
@
1, 2, 3, 8X, 8BX, 30, 45, 81X.
California St, Powell-Hyde,
Powell-Mason.
Mass
7:30am,
12:05pm daily; also 5pm Sat, 8:30 &
11am Sun.
=
∑
oldsaintmarys.org
San Francisco's first Catholic
cathedral, Old St. Mary's served
a largely Irish congregation
from 1854 to 1891, when a
new St. Mary's Church was
built on Van Ness Avenue.
Due to the unavailability of
suitable building materials in
California, the bricks for the
Carved statue of Kuan Di inside the Kong Chow Temple
