Boston installs bilingual Chinese-English street signs in Chinatown after six-decade push

BOSTON — July 22, 2026 — Boston unveils Chinese-English bilingual street signs in Chinatown after a push spanning four mayoral administrations. Mayor Michelle Wu and City Councilor Ed Flynn (District 2) joined members of the Chinatown Residents Association at the Chinatown Gate on July 22 for the ceremonial installation, which community leaders say began as early as the 1960s. CRA leader Mr. Wong told the crowd, "We have been pushing for this for many, many years. Including the current administration, I counted four. We finally got it." The ceremony honored two former CRA presidents, Henry Yee and Yee Hing-Sung, who died before seeing the signs installed. Bolin Kwan of the Chinese Progressive Association credited a broad petition campaign and 15 to 20 years of sustained resident organizing — not just association leadership — as the force behind the outcome. State Representative Aaron Michalowicz, who chairs the House Ways and Means Committee, also attended and described the bilingual signs as "a huge step in terms of what we're representing."