NW 4th Ave and NW Couch St.
The Hung Far Low sign is one of Portland’s most famous old signs. It used to hang outside the Hung Far Low restaurant in Portland’s Chinatown, on NW 4th Avenue and NW Couch Street. The restaurant first opened in 1928 and served Chinese and American food. For many years, it was a popular place for people from all over the city to meet and eat.
The sign itself is large, colorful, and shaped like a classic Chinese pagoda. It has red, yellow, and green neon lights that spell out “Hung Far Low,” which means “Almond Blossom Fragrance”” in Chinese. When it was built, it was one of the biggest neon signs in Portland and helped draw attention to Chinatown.
After the restaurant closed, the sign started to fall into disrepair and was taken down in 2008 for safety reasons. People in the community were sad to lose this important piece of history because the Hung Far Low sign is a reminder of the city’s long connection to Chinese immigrants and their contributions to Portland’s culture and history.
In 2010, local groups, including the Old Town Chinatown Neighborhood Association, worked together to save it. They raised about $77,000 through donations and grants to repair and reinstall the sign. Today, the restored Hung Far Low sign hangs proudly again in Old Town Chinatown, reminding everyone of the neighborhood’s long and important Chinese American history.
The Hung Far Low sign is more than just a piece of neon art—it’s a symbol of pride, community, and Portland’s multicultural past.
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Discussion Questions:
What is the importance of restoring the old Hung Far Low sign?
What does Hung Far low mean in English?
What does it mean to have a conversation piece?
Vocabulary: Landmark, neon, pagoda, restoration, fundraiser, community
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State Education Standards:
Social Studies 3.11. Describe how individuals, groups, events, and developments have shaped the communities and regions. Multicultural Studies, Historical Knowledge
Social Studies 3.12. Compare and contrast the history of the local community to other communities in the region. Historical Knowledge
Social Studies 3.17. Use a variety of historical sources (artifacts, pictures, documents) to identify factual evidence. Historical Thinking
VA:Re8.1.3a. Interpret art by referring to contextual information and analyzing subject matter, form, and materials. Visual Arts Responding