Did you know that Sunset Park’s Little Fuzhou is the fourth largest Chinatown in the United States, and the largest in New York City? This means that Sunset Park’s Chinatown has completely overtaken Manhattan’s! This lesser known Brooklyn fact does not get nearly as much recognition as it deserves.
And, now, Sunset Park’s Little Fuzhou is being gifted with a serious upgrade directly from China. In a truly beautiful piece of Brooklyn news, Beijing’s Chaoyang Districct is donating a special arch to Little Fuzhou. This structure will be dubbed the “Friendship Archway” and is largely a result of Paul Mak’s efforts with the Brooklyn Chinese-American Association. The arch will span Eighth Avenue between 64th and 65th streets. The proposed design will have nine roofs and four pillars, the design that is used in imperial Beijing structures. The exact details are still being worked out between City Hall and Assemblyman Peter Abbate.
During his final state of the borough address on Thursday, Borough President Markowitz had the following to say: “Beautifying our streets doesn’t mean just adding more green.” Brooklyn newspapers are predicting a significant increase in foot traffic to Sunset Park and residents of the area are excited about the addition to their neighborhood.