A Chinese Junk Boat for Oakland

The idea for the Chinese junk (boat) came from the voyage of the real junk "Free China” from Taiwan to San Francisco in 1955. The idea originally involved the purchase of an actual junk for the playground, but eventually developed into a specially designed play structure. The Wa Sung Project Committee raised half of the project funds and together with the City of Oakland, who matched the funds, got the project built. The junk has been a popular centerpiece of the playground for over thirty years. Like anything else that has been in constant use, it became worn and was in need of maintenance. In 2003, The Wa Sung Community Service Club again embarked on a project with the Oakland Parks and Recreation Department to restore and improve the junk. Public funds and private donations have made this second boat project a reality twenty-six years later.

. This historical marker is in Downtown Oakland in Alameda County California