Welcome to the Portland Chinatown Museum
We are Oregon's first museum about Chinese American history, art, and culture.
Honoring Portland Chinatown's past, present, and future
The Portland Chinatown Museum (PCM) is Oregon’s first museum about Chinese American history, art, and culture. It opened to the public in December 2018 in a historic building at NW Third Avenue and Davis Street, the heart of the New Chinatown/Japantown Historic District.
Interior of Beyond the Gate at Portland Chinatown Museum (2018-12-15) by Portland Chinatown MuseumPortland Chinatown Museum
Our history
The Portland Chinatown Museum is run by the Portland Chinatown History Foundation (PCHF), established in 2014 by a group of Chinese American elders who wanted to preserve their stories and histories in response to a rapidly changing Chinatown.
Beyond the Gate: Store Vignette (2019-01-05) by Portland Chinatown MuseumPortland Chinatown Museum
Beyond the Gate: A Tale of Portland's Historic Chinatowns
The permanent exhibition gallery features a 2,400 square foot exhibition that highlights the rich history of early Chinese Americans in Portland, Oregon. Beyond the Gate was created by Dr. Jacqueline Peterson-Loomis with associate curator Jennifer Fang.
The World Transformed: Scenic Designs by Carey Wong - Madama Butterfly (1999) by Carey WongPortland Chinatown Museum
Celebrating Asian American artists
Two front galleries serve as a venue for the work of contemporary Asian American artists in all media, as a site for storytelling about the immigrant experience, and for exhibitions, lectures, performances, and other public programs.
Artist-in-Residence Program
The PCM AIR Program offers local artists the opportunity to collaborate, research and interact with the history of Portland’s Chinatowns through the Museum’s permanent exhibition, historians, oral history and photograph collections, community elders, and community partners.
PCM Online
Virtual programming is an important cornerstone of the Museum's work. Past programs have explored early Chinese American history in rural Oregon, local Asian American artists and authors, and cultural and community presentations.
Chinatown Live!
Chinatown Live! aims to expand public access to the interpretive power of Portland Chinatown elders’ oral histories, so that audiences of all ages and backgrounds can learn from and engage with Oregon’s Chinese American history and heritage.
Dragon Dance Parade: Warming Up the Crowd (2020-01-26) by Portland Chinatown MuseumPortland Chinatown Museum
Lunar New Year Dragon Dance Parade
The annual Lunar New Year Dragon Dance Parade and Celebration is organized by PCM in collaboration with the Oregon Historical Society and numerous community partners. The festivities include lion dancers, drummers, and a 150-foot dragon.
Envisioning Chinatown in the future
The Portland Chinatown Museum is dedicated to honoring Portland Chinatown’s past, celebrating its present, and helping to create it's future. Our exhibitions, programs, and events are for everyone and all generations. We hope to see you soon at the museum!
Photos by Jeff Lee Photography. Contributors to the Chinatown Live! photo collage include Bertha Saiget, Norman Locke, and the family of Mary K. Leong.
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