The new Essex Street Gateway marks the southern threshold to Chinatown Park - a new modern wayfinding element designed to be visible on the Rose Kennedy Greenway from Dewey Square.

The sampan sail sculpture is inspired by Boston's China Trade of the late 17th and early 18th century that was instrumental in the development of Chinatown.  

From Dewey Square, the gate is seen as traditional gate posts and lintel with the illuminated sampan sail feature in the foreground.

As one approaches the park, the sail becomes a separate element, and the flared lintel is revealed as a daring cantilever.

Under the large gate, the base stands firmly in a symbolic rice field, while the lintel disappears in a grove of tall bamboo.

At night the composition changes again as the sail becomes a beacon of soft light, the angular, red gateway glows warmly against the green bamboo.