Tacoma, WA - Folklore & Reconciliation Park

The ultimate black plagued of American Folklore is the story of Chinese Tunnels. In 1936, William Zimmerman wrote a letter to Washington DC, which forever tarnished the historic achievements of Chinese in America. His derogatory letter was filled with hurtful accusations, claiming that the Chinese community had created tunnels. Mr. Zimmerman perpetuated negative propaganda that still survives today. Unfortunately, Zimmerman's false narrative of folklore Chinese tunnels has overshadowed the community's true history, burying the fact that the Red Bluff community acted in partnership with their Chinatown.

Tacoma's notorious history of anti-Chinese actions against the Chinese community had far-reaching consequences. In 1885, Tacoma citizens led an expulsion, which was so detrimental that the news quickly spread across the west coast. This event created the Anti-Chinese League in Redding and led to their efforts of expulsion in 1886. Tacoma was even used as an example to encourage other communities to do the same.

Fortunately, in Red Bluff, California, the Anti-Chinese League was eventually found to become a public nuisance, and the newspapers that initially supported the league decided to mute their efforts after a dispute, substantially diminishing their ability to rally people together. Additionally, the non-Chinese in Red Bluff recognized that the Anti-Chinese League had become a "public nuisance." The final attempt by the Anti-Chinese League was extinguished when Wong Foey, a prominent figure in the Chinese community, told the people that he had every right to remain a resident of Chinatown and that no one would be vacating.

Since 1992, the community of Tacoma had initiated the Reconciliation Project, which finally opened its park in 2010. While the park is ongoing, the pavilion provided as a gift from the City of Fuzhou, Fujian Province, China, is a glorious addition. The structure is gifted with great details encompassing all of the powerful ancient symbols that mean so much to Chinese American descendants. There is great reflection in the symbolic meaning, as so many are proud to be descendants of China's imperial period.