In a June 24 Metro article, Linda Lee's affiliation with the Washington Convention Center was incorrectly reported. She is a member of the center's advisory board.
| Page 2 of 2 < |
Chinatown Loses A Fixture on H Street
The building that housed the China Doll for nearly 50 years, behind Chinatown's ornamental gateway, probably will be redeveloped as part of a mixed-use project along H Street, according to the family that owned it.
(Linda Davidson - The Washington Post)
TOOLBOX
   Resize
COMMENT
 Discussion Policy
 CLOSE
Comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. Additionally, entries that are unsigned or contain "signatures" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. Finally, we will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or privacy policies or any other policies governing this site. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.
Who's Blogging  |
Tucked between the Lei Garden restaurant and the mayoral campaign headquarters of D.C. Council member Vincent B. Orange Sr. (Ward 5), the restaurant was where Lee family members played out key moments of their lives.
It led to Yennie Lee meeting her future husband, Tom Vailikit, who worked as a host at the restaurant next door. She said he would come over every day to ask whether she wanted to buy the newspaper. They married in 1973 and were given a wedding banquet at the China Doll by her family.
The Lees said they were approached many times by developers eager to buy the China Doll's two-story building.
When an offer came late last year, they agreed to sell.
"Everybody was ready to retire, and we want to enjoy life while we're still healthy," said Emma Lee, 57. "It's more important than making a dollar. It's time to let go and enjoy the rest of our lives."
Linda Lee said the building is expected to be part of a retail, office and condominium project. The family declined to name the buyer.
Nowadays, the only bustle at the China Doll involves packing and cleaning. A restaurant has purchased most of the equipment, but individuals walked in this week, buying a few items here and there.
Dishes were neatly stacked on the bar and tables, where customers used to sit, and cooking utensils and silverware were packed in boxes. Offers have been made for the industrial-size stoves.
A laughing Buddha statue still greeted those who entered -- but only one bag of disposable chopsticks remained; the rest had been given away as souvenirs.
And the only meals eaten in the China Doll until the family hands over the keys probably will be carryout: roast beef sandwiches and Cokes, one day this week.
Retirement plans for Emma Lee include playing piano and visiting a grandson in Arizona. And only now, with the restaurant sold, will she learn to cook.
"Someone else always cooked, or we would have carryout," she said. "Once in a while, I'd cook barbecue chicken and spaghetti -- because when you eat Chinese food all day, you don't want to go home and eat the same thing."
But this week, customers still wandered in, often to chat one last time and say goodbye.
Some, such as Officer Rodney E. Miller of the Asian Liaison Unit of the D.C. police, had come to the China Doll every day, until he went on a diet.
"It wasn't just about coming here to eat," he said. "Sometimes they'd share food that they cooked for themselves. And people will never have this again. It's only memories, but something you can't take away."
