Chinese Arch, Lima Explained

Chinese Arch
Location:	Chinatown, Lima
Type:	Paifang
Coordinates:	-12.0509°N -77.0258°W

The Chinese Arch (es|Arco Chino), also known as the Chinese Portal (es|Portada China),^[1] is a paifang located at the entrance of Lima's Chinatown.

It was donated by the Peruvian Chinese colony for the Sesquicentennial of the Independence of Peru and inaugurated with a great party on November 12, 1971, by the mayor of Lima Eduardo Dibós as part of the remodeling and enhancement of the area as a tourist attraction.^{[2] [3] [4]}

In 2017, two 1.80-metre, 2.5-ton sculptures of lions located in the arch were unveiled.^[5]

Overview

The monument is built in the form of a paifang, which is a style of gate in traditional Chinese architecture, resembling an arch. It measures 8 metres high and 13 wide. The design is by the architects Tusanes Kuoway Ruiz Dillón and Carlos Lock Sing, and the cover, veneered in wood and marble, was decorated by the Chinese artist Wa Kong Chang.^[2]

At the top of the arch are various phrases in Chinese characters:^[2]

• On the side that faces Abancay avenue it reads "the Chinese Arch".
• On the sides there are various inscriptions indicating that it is a present made to the city of Lima by overseas Chinese living in Peru, as well as the date of its inauguration, November 12, 1971.
• On the side that faces Capón street, a phrase from Confucianism can be read: “Under the same sky, we are all equal”.

See also

• Sesquicentennial of the Independence of Peru
• Fuente China
• La yunta (sculpture)
• Las llamas
• Moorish Arch, Lima

Notes and References

1. Web site: Calle Capón . Asociación Peruano China . 2023-08-17 . 2015-02-08 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150208185708/http://www.apch.com.pe/calle-capon.html . dead .
2. Book: Chuhue, Richard . Capón. El barrio chino de Lima . Municipalidad Metropolitana de Lima . 2017 . 9789972726156 . 63–64 . es . Munilibro . 2 . 1126541508 . 2023-08-17 . 2022-09-25 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220925065928/http://www.biblioteca.munlima.gob.pe/images/munilibros/MUNILIBRO02.pdf . dead .
3. News: Calle Capón: un paseo por su historia . Córdova Tábori . Lilia . 2019-10-11 . El Comercio.
4. News: Los 40 años del arco chino . Fernández Arribasplata . María . 2011-11-10 . El Comercio.
5. News: Esculturas de leones son la nueva atracción del Barrio Chino . 2017-12-14 . Radio Nacional.