Tacoma's Chinese Reconciliation Park opens

The centerpiece of Tacoma’s Chinese Reconciliation Park was dedicated Thursday and dozens of people flooded the waterfront park to admire the 20-foot traditional pavilion.

The wood-beamed structure, called a “ting” in Mandarin, is the first building in the 3.9-acre park and a gift from Tacoma’s sister city Fuzhou, China.

“This has been a long, long time in coming,” said Gregory Youtz, who chairs the Tacoma-Fuzhou Sister City Committee and emceed the event. “We hope this helps Tacoma tell its story to the world.”

The park along Schuster Parkway is the culmination of a decades-long community effort to atone for Tacoma’s expulsion of 200 Chinese immigrants in 1885.

Although two more construction phases are planned over the coming years, the park is now officially open to the public.

“We’re glad it’s finally done,” said Katie Harris of Tacoma, who often walks in the area and has enjoyed seeing construction on the pavilion progress. “It’s gorgeous. The details are amazing.”

Visitors walked through the “pass of expulsion,” towering basalt pillars meant to intimidate, and strolled across a bridge. They read interpretative signs, admired the hand-crafted pavilion and applauded dancers in colorful Chinese dragon costumes.

A Buddhist grand master blessed the pavilion during the ceremony, using a purple flower to fling water droplets around the structure while three others in brown robes sang.

A six-member delegation from Fuzhou flew to Tacoma to help dedicate the pavilion, whose 7,354 prefabricated pieces were shipped overseas last fall in 72 packages.

The Chinese craftsmen who oversaw the project did not accompany the delegation.

“I sincerely wish the friendship of our two cities will be as bright as the color of the ting,” Fuzhou Vice-Mayor Chen Qi told the crowd, drawing several chuckles.

The bright red lacquer used on the pavilion is a Chinese specialty said to last thousands of years. The pavilion also features a bold blue placard that reads “Fuzhou” in Mandarin and two stone lions at the entrance intended to be spiritual guardians.

Mayor Marilyn Strickland, Chinese Reconciliation Project Foundation President Theresa Pan-Hosley and several former mayors joined together to unveil the lions, which had been draped in red cloth.

Strickland said she was honored to be able to see the completion of an important vision that started with her predecessors.

“This ting really represents the essence of what makes this city so great,” she said.

Although the park is now open, there are plans to build several more structures, including a multicultural pavilion and reconciliation hall with classrooms and an interpretative display.

Strickland said several couples have already contacted City Hall to ask about holding weddings there.

Work on the pavilion has been complete for several months although touchups will still be needed. Vandalism earlier in the year initially prompted the idea of security cameras but the cost proved too much.

Instead, officials have installed brighter lighting on a bridge above the park. More lighting features are being considered for Reconciliation Park.

This isn’t the first time money has been a problem for the pavilion.

City leaders initially planned to spend $100,000 to lay the concrete pad and cover other installation costs. But the unique structure – said to be the only of its kind in the region – ended up costing $595,000.

Project managers said the price tag was driven up by the pavilion’s complexity and weather delays.

So far, the city has spent about $6 million on the park. That figure includes the pavilion. Once the final two phases are complete, the cost could be as high as $13 million.

“This will become an icon in the community,” project manager Lihuang Wung said. “This is where people can get together, get married, think about our history and think about the future of our community.”

Stacia Glenn: 253-597-8653 stacia.glenn@thenewstribune.com