Chinatown Gateway, Chicago, Guia do visitante e o que fazer por perto

The Chinatown Gateway is the ornate arch that spans Wentworth Avenue at the entrance to Chinatown in Chicago, Illinois. Installed in 1975, it marks the start of the neighborhood's main commercial street and is one of the most photographed spots in the area.

The story behind it

The gate was designed by architect Peter Fung and put up in 1975. Across the top are four large Chinese characters that are often rendered as "the world belongs to all", a phrase linked to Sun Yat-sen. Your quest's creators translate it as "the world belongs to the commonwealth", and the sense is much the same: a shared, public-minded world. Passing under it, you enter the heart of Chicago's Chinatown, lined with shops, restaurants, bakeries, grocery stores and churches.

Right beside the gate stands the Pui Tak Center, which opened in 1928 as a grand home for a Chinese American merchants' association. It is known as one of the most elaborate buildings put up by Chinese Americans in that era. Its decoration is made of glazed terra cotta, chosen to echo the glazed ceramic tiles of traditional Chinese architecture. Today it is owned by a Chinese Christian church community.

What to look for

• Read the four large characters across the top of the gate, which carry the message about a world shared by everyone.
• Look up at the roof tiles and painted decoration, which make the arch stand out against the plain city blocks around it.
• Find the Pui Tak Center next to the gate and study its terra cotta details, made to imitate traditional glazed Chinese tile.
• Watch the street itself: bakery windows, restaurant signs and grocery displays along Wentworth Avenue give the place its busy marketplace feel.

Tips for your visit

• The gate stands over a public street, so it is free to see at any time. Allow about 15 minutes for the gate and the building beside it, longer if you want to eat.
• Daytime, especially around midday, is livelier, with shops open and people about. Check current opening hours for any business you plan to visit.
• The Pui Tak Center is best admired from the street, and you should check current opening hours or events before expecting to go inside.
• The Red Line stop at Cermak-Chinatown is a short walk away, and Wentworth Avenue is easy to explore on foot, so plan to wander past the gate rather than just photograph it.

See it on a quest

The gate works well as a first stop on Chicago Chinatown: Quest for the Dragon Kings. You reach it on foot as one stop of a longer route through the neighborhood, the app tells you about each place as you arrive, and you solve a puzzle based on what is in front of you. There is no guide and no group to join, so you can start whenever you like, and one ticket covers your whole group.