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Opinion: Portsmouth Square pedestrian bridge has been a valuable, precious and enormous open space for Chinatown for over 50 years

Ding Lee / 李殿邦
July 17, 2025
At 11:00 am on September 6, 2001, attendees from all over the nation of the 17th National Lee Family Association Conference took a group photo on the Portsmouth Square pedestrian bridge after a parade in San Francisco Chinatown. Then San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown was present at the event and joined the attendees for photos. Ding Lee stood behind Brown in the photo. If the city demolishes the bridge one day, the opportunity for taking a big group photo at such a perfect venue will be gone. Courtesy Ding Lee
At 11:00 am on September 6, 2001, attendees from all over the nation of the 17th National Lee Family Association Conference took a group photo on the Portsmouth Square pedestrian bridge after a parade in San Francisco Chinatown. Then San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown was present at the event and joined the attendees for photos. Ding Lee stood behind Brown in the photo. If the city demolishes the bridge one day, the opportunity for taking a big group photo at such a perfect venue will be gone. Courtesy Ding Lee

As the Chairperson of the Historical and Cultural Committee at the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association (CCBA), I was very surprised to hear that the pedestrian bridge connecting the Hilton Hotel and Portsmouth Square has been scheduled to be demolished.

In the past for some time, I have also been caught in an ideological struggle on whether the pedestrian bridge connecting both communities between the financial district and Chinatown should be preserved or not. How to maintain a balance between social progress and historical development is indeed a difficult decision that needs more visionary wisdom and judgements.

This pedestrian walkway connecting the hotel and Chinatown's "living room", Portsmouth Square, has witnessed the ups and downs of Chinatown's history of fighting for equal rights for more than half a century. It has also been one of the many landmarks representing Chinatown.

From the perspective of "Feng Shui", the pedestrian bridge represents a bridge of communication between Chinatown and the mainstream community in San Francisco. It symbolizes "harmony brings wealth" (「和氣生財」) in the Chinese culture. Especially in San Francisco Chinatown, where every inch of land is worth a lot of money (「寸金尺土」), the bridge is a valuable, precious and enormous open space for our community.

Over the past 50 years, numerous community organizations have held different types of outdoor events on the bridge that have been a significant resource providing opportunities and venues for all of us.

During the peak of the pandemic starting 2020, community groups were able to hold outdoor events including photo exhibits on the Portsmouth Square pedestrian bridge. Courtesy Ding Lee
During the peak of the pandemic starting 2020, community groups were able to hold outdoor events including photo exhibits on the Portsmouth Square pedestrian bridge. Courtesy Ding Lee

If the bridge is demolished one day in the future, it will not only cost huge money, but the community will also lose a large area of open space for holding events. We would be very regretful when one day the bridge was gone.

I urge Mayor Daniel Lurie and the city to reconsider the plan of renovating Portsmouth Square and preserve the history of Chinese American community building the pedestrian bridge.

The pedestrian bridge was built by a group of Chinatown leaders in the 1960s and 1970s who made all the efforts to raise funds for the purpose of connecting two communities between the east and the west.

*Ding Lee is a San Francisco Chinatown leader and has been active in Chinatown for over 50 years. He had served as the Presiding President of the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association (CCBA) and President of the Hoy Sun Ning Yung Benevolent Association, currently serves as Director of the Historical and Cultural Committee at CCBA, Elder of the Lee Family Association of America, Secretary of CCBA, Member of the Board of Trustees of the Chinese Hospital, and Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of the Central Chinese High School in San Francisco Chinatown.