Portland Chinatown Museum expands 'Beyond the Gate' exhibit Oct. 30

The Portland Chinatown Museum will unveil an expanded version of its signature exhibition for free on Friday, Oct. 30. The community celebration marks 10 years of "Beyond the Gate: A Tale of Portland's Historic Chinatowns."

The event runs from 4 to 6 p.m. at the museum, 127 NW Third Ave. in Old Town Chinatown. The museum said on Instagram that the Oct. 30 opening is free and open to the public.

The exhibition first opened at the Oregon Historical Society in 2016, according to the museum. It broke attendance records there and started a citywide conversation about Chinese American history that led to the founding of the museum itself.

The museum has finished the first phase of updating and expanding the permanent exhibition. The work will continue over the next two years as staff uncover new stories from Portland's Chinese American community.

What's new

The updates add several sections to the 2,400-square-foot exhibition. An expanded performing arts vignette features Bong Wai Chen's theater backdrop from the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association (CCBA). A reimagined pharmacy vignette shows how gambling rooms were tucked behind Chinatown storefronts.

A new Chinese Arts Studio highlights artists Wing K. Leong and Bong Wai Chen alongside Chinese students of the era. The military collection now features World War I and World War II memorabilia and a new veterans' memorial wall.

New storytelling carries the history of Portland's Chinese American community through 1980.

Anna Truxes, the museum's executive director, said the anniversary is "an invitation to celebrate our progress" and that the work of uncovering community stories is ongoing.

How to visit

The Oct. 30 celebration is free. Regular museum hours are Thursday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Standard admission is $8 for adults, $6 for seniors, $5 for students and free for children 12 and younger.

The museum is operated by the Portland Chinatown History Foundation, founded in 2014 by a group of Chinese American elders with deep roots in Portland's Chinatown. Contact the museum at 503-224-0008 or [email protected].