To spot Hing Hay Park, look ahead for a striking pavilion with ornate orange-tiled roofs sitting on bright red columns-right in the heart of the square, with benches and open spaces all around.
Welcome to Hing Hay Park-the joyful heart of Seattle’s Chinatown-International District! If parks had personalities, this one would be the welcoming neighbor who insists you stay for tea, play a game of chess, or join an impromptu tai chi session. It’s a place where community spirit is practically built into the bricks and beams. Let’s travel back to the early 1970s, when the land here was about as vibrant as a soggy fortune cookie-home only to the condemned concrete of the Specie Bank of Seattle, which had stood crumbling since 1911. But local leaders had a vision: with a little luck (and a lot of paperwork), maybe this unloved corner could become a haven for relaxation, culture, and togetherness.
The transformation wasn’t magic-it was Forward Thrust! This might sound like a superhero, but it was really a bond initiative that handed over the funds to buy out the old buildings. The park’s first plans were a far cry from today-a humble “International District Mini Park,” designed by creative visionaries at Sakuma, James, and Peterson. The city dreamed up a space easy to maintain (because, let’s face it, city budgets cared more for pigeons than park pavilions back then).
Enter Ruby Chow-a local firebrand who could out-charm a dragon-and the Mayor of Taipei, visiting from across the Pacific. Over friendly, heartfelt conversations, Chow convinced the mayor this little park should be more than just a patch of grass. So he reached into his own pockets (I hope they were big ones!), donating the brickwork, pavilion, and that delightful tiled-roof bulletin board where you’ll still find community news and an outdated district map. Picture Seattle’s skies, usually dripping with rain, suddenly buzzing with the hammering and laughter of Taiwanese builders sent over just for this project. By 1975, their carefully crafted pavilion stood proudly-a gift from one city to another-a red, green, and orange gem at the crossroads.
Now, take in your surroundings-the original heart of the park is right at the corner of King Street and Maynard Avenue, filled with benches and stone chess tables, where players often battle more fiercely than sumo wrestlers at a buffet. The little bulletin board sits, oddly diagonal in the southeast corner. That’s on purpose. According to feng shui, setting it parallel would block the flow of qi-and we wouldn’t want to meddle with any invisible dragon energy now, would we?
And that colorful mural? Look over at the Bush-Asia Center’s wall. Artist John Woo painted it in 1977-there’s a fierce dragon, scenes of railroad workers (a nod to the people who actually built the region, though rarely thanked in the history books), the Kingdome, and the iconic King Street Station clock tower. Local stories, big dreams, all swirling together in one grand sweep of brushstrokes.
The park honors its heroes too. There’s a solemn cenotaph in memory of ten Chinese-American veterans lost in World War II. Each Memorial Day, families gather, memories rise, and American Legion Cathay Post No. 186 holds a respectful ceremony amidst the laughter and life.
With time, the park grew-from a cozy quarter-block nook to a spacious 0.64-acre haven, after the city scooped up the old post office next door in 2007. A new generation of designers, including teams from both Seattle and Beijing, dreamed up a bigger vision: terraced landscaping like rice paddies, new seating, and a dramatic red gateway. In 2018, Studio Fifty50 installed a 70-foot-long red metal archway-a modern edge to the classic vibe. When it went up, there was a big community celebration and just a bit of local drama: the gateway and lighting delayed the opening by months. But hey, you can’t rush perfection (or electricians, apparently).
Today, Hing Hay Park thrums with life year-round. In summer, tai chi classes unfold slowly under the morning sun, and music drifts from spontaneous concerts and Dragon Fest celebrations. The place is famous enough to appear in a Blue Scholars hip-hop song and even shows up in a video game, though the digital version is flashier than real life. There’s always something happening, whether it’s a fierce chess match, a friendship blossoming, or the simple magic of sitting on a bench under that leafy canopy.
So, as you stand here, surrounded by red columns and orange tiles, you’re not just looking at a park-you’re stepping into 50 years of stories, unity, and a dash of cross-Pacific friendship. Hang out, grab a snack, strike a pose-who knows, maybe you’ll end up in the next mural or song!
