On Saturday, 20th February 2010, the Liverpool Chinese Community celebrated the 10th Anniversary of the Liverpool Chinese Arch. The Arch symbolises the long tie and friendship between the cities of Liverpool and Shanghai. The celebration consists of a traditional Chinese blessing, fire crackers display and Chinese lion dance.

About two hundred people attended the ceremony including Cllr. Flo Clucas, Deputy Leader of the Liverpool City Council; Cllr. Hazel Williams, Deputy Lord Mayor of Liverpool; Deputy Consul General Wang, Consulate General of PRC; Jeanette Wrigley, Chief Inspector of Merseyside Police; Dave Mottram, District Manager of Merseyside Fire and Rescue Services; representatives of the local Chinese community organisations; and members of public.

Liverpool Chinatown Arch scheme started in 1992 and formed part of the Liverpool Ropewalks Partnership initiative. The local Chinese community chose the design through a competition. The Shanghai Linyi Garden Company Ltd manufactured the components which were assembled rather like a huge jig-saw and shipped to Liverpool in five large containers.

A team of 20 craftsmen – especially selected for this project – including stone masons, stone carvers, painters and construction engineers travelled from Shanghai to Liverpool in October 1999. The total work program for the Arch was completed in less than 90 days.

The Archway is:

· The largest Chinese Archway in Europe

· The largest Chinese Archway in any Chinatown outside of mainland China

· It is 13.5 metres high (the Arch in San Francisco is wider but not as tall)

· The Arch contains 200 hand – carved dragons

· 188 ordinary dragons and 12 pregnant dragons - signifying good fortune between the two cities.

The Archway was the star attraction in Liverpool’s Chinatown for the first Chinese New Year celebrations of the Millennium when in February 2000 the Year of the Dragon was celebrated.