The Chinatown of Havana is located in the municipality of Centro Habana , province of Havana City , in Cuba , making up one of the oldest and largest Chinatowns in Latin America . It came to be considered the second most important in the world, after San Francisco in California , United States . Their small grocery stores and restaurants originated from the accumulation of money their owners made during their years as contract workers. The first Chinese-owned businesses were opened in 1858.
The entrance portico to the neighborhood, inaugurated in 1999, was financed by the government of the People's Republic of China with materials brought from that country. It is called "El Pórtico de la Amistad" and is located on Dragones Street. It is a three-ton concrete structure , 16 meters wide and 12 meters high. Its structure of columns and beams is made of reinforced concrete covered with gray granite , and the roof is made of ceramic tiles enameled in golden color. It is a unique Chinese architectural work in Latin America and one of the largest outside of China.
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