The Chinatown Edmonton-Harbin Friendship Gate has been an Edmonton civic landmark for the past 30 years. Located on 102 Avenue just east of 97 Street, it was erected in 1987 as a symbol of the close ties between the sister’s cities of Edmonton and Harbin of the People's Republic of China. The original construction was made possible through government grants from the Province of Alberta and the City of Edmonton, plus private donations from the community. Special construction material and technical expertise were contributed by the City of Harbin which sent a team of specialists to help with the project.

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     In the past few years, the Chinese Community has been fighting very hard to try to re-route the proposed new light rail transit away from 102 Avenue. This route will create a lot of disruption and inconvenience too many Chinese organizations, residences and businesses in this area. In particular, it will mean the demolition or relocation of the Edmonton-Harbin Friendship Gate as it is in the direct path of the LRT line. Although regrettably our efforts have not been successful, we have received commitment from the City of Edmonton to preserve the gate in sections when it is taken down. The sections will be stored at city storage yards until a final decision is made to relocate or rebuild the gate at a new location.

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     There will be a special ceremony marking the official end of the gate on Saturday, January 21, 2017. It will be held at 2:45 pm at the Friendship Gate with City of Edmonton officials present. We urge members of the Chinese Community to show up to witness this historic event, and to testify to the significance of this splendid structure to the entire Chinese Community of Edmonton. Your presence will also serve to remind the authorities of their promise to re-erect the gate at a future date as a monument to the cultural heritage of our community.