The unveiling ceremony for the new gateway.
The Chinatown Gateway will complement Ottawa’s urban development and celebrate 40 years of diplomatic relations between Canada and China, said Chinese Ambassador Lan Lijun at the gateway’s unveiling, Thursday afternoon.
“It will be an architectural and cultural landmark here to stay in Canada’s capital,” said the ambassador.
Over 300 people turned up for the unveiling of the three-storey gateway, which sits on Somerset Street, just west of Bronson Avenue. Police blocked off Somerset for the ceremony, held under the gateway at the entrance to the Chinatown.
Along with the ambassador, Mayor Larry O’Brien, Ottawa Centre MPP Yasir Naquvi, Ottawa West-Nepean MP John Baird and Liang Wei, advisor to the Beijing municipal government, spoke at the ceremony.
Councillors Diane Holmes, Marianne Wilkinson, and Clive Doucet, as well as Ottawa-Orleans MP Royal Galipeau, were also in attendance.
The project, which was timed to coincide with the fortieth anniversary of diplomatic relations between Canada and China, was funded by the federal, provincial and municipal governments as part of the Infrastructure Stimulus Fund.
The City of Beijing, the Chinatown Somerset BIA, as well as private and corporate donors, also contributed to the project.
Beijing, which is Ottawa’s “twin-city,” provided materials, trades-people and designs to help complete the structure.
During his speech, O’Brien said the Beijing government “didn’t spare any effort” in its contributions. O’Brien declared Oct. 3-9, 2010 as “Ottawa-Beijing Friendship Week.”
As part of the anniversary celebrations, a photo gallery, Charms of Beijing has also opened at city hall. Liang added he brought with him several entrepreneurs from Beijing, interested in pursuing business opportunities in Ottawa.
The ceremony finished with the unveiling of lion statues flanking the gateway, a ribbon cutting and a ceremonial lion dance by Success Lion Dance Troupe.