Reconciliation Chinese Park is part of the Tacoma metro park system, and is a unique place located right on Puget Sound that is ideal for quiet reflection, private events, or a picnic. Rather than open green space, this park is in a patch of rolling hills. While the park has a small footprint, it has a variety of terrain, from gravel gardens to the rocky beach. It is one of the most beautiful places to sit and just enjoy the surrounding scenery in Tacoma. In the spring, cherry blossoms add an extra pop of color.
At any time of the year, the water and traditional Chinese structures and sculptures create a place of unique beauty.
The Chinese Reconciliation Park has a unique name for a reason. The park is part public park and part apology for the tragic expulsion of Chinese residents from Tacoma in the late 1800s. The park spaces are beautiful, but also educational if you pause to read one of the plaques that explains what happened and why the Chinese population was so important to the city, despite how they were treated.
Chinese history in Tacoma
An important facet of the park is its history: the park is located on the site of a Chinese settlement that was burned down during the expulsion of Chinese immigrants on November 3, 1885, when citizens and city leaders forced Chinese immigrants to get out of Tacoma. after bad economic conditions and anti-Chinese sentiment combined to create one of the darkest times in the city’s history. According to a plaque in the park, there were 200 Chinese forced to leave the city and 500 who left the city in the days leading up to the expulsion for fear of what was to come.
Monuments dot the park and help tell the story of what happened in the past and also seek to create harmony in the present. The park’s name reflects that the park is not just a place of peace now, but an effort to correct the mistakes of the past. Taking a walk in the park to read the license plates will deepen anyone’s understanding of the importance of the park, but also the overall history of Tacoma.
Why you should visit
While the park’s history is heavy, the park is generally calm and serene and is a great place to reflect on the southern tip of the Tacoma coastline, not far from Jake Hyde Park. There are several seating areas to enjoy expansive views of the Puget Sound. Along the shoreline there is a small beach area with logs to sit and watch the water (and maybe spot a seal or two).
If you have a small event that you would like to celebrate outdoors, the park is a great place. The picturesque park is the perfect location for graduation photos, engagement photos, weddings, or other special occasions with a bridge, attractive foliage, and the Fuzhou Ting, a cool pavilion in the center of the park donated by Tacoma’s sister city, Fuzhou, China. The Fuzhou Ting measures 30 x 40 feet and was donated to the City of Tacoma by its sister city Fuzhou, China. The pavilion has benches within the structure where you can sit and enjoy the view, but as a rental facility, it provides space for up to 100 people between the actual pavilion and the space around the edge of the pavilion.
The Fuzhou Ting is available to rent from June 1 to September 30.
The Chinese Reconciliation Park has also served as the base for the Tacoma Moon Festival in recent years. During the Moon Festival, lighted lanterns are floated in the sky, quite a spectacle on the Puget Sound. And it’s not a bad place to search for glass orbs, medallions, and other hidden treasures during Monkeyshines, which usually occurs in late January or February.
Bono, from the park, you can continue along the trail that begins in the park to the Ruston Way trail, which lasts about two miles along the Puget Sound. Then you connect to the Point Ruston walking trails, which will take you another few miles and eventually connect to Point Defiance.
Location
The four-acre park is located on the southern end (closest to downtown Tacoma) of the Tacoma waterfront at 1741 N Schuster Parkway, Tacoma.
There is a small parking lot near the park, but it’s also not very far from the parking lot just down the hill from The Spar at McCarver and Ruston Way.
