Description
Book SynopsisIn 1834, a young Chinese woman named Afong Moy arrived in America, her bound feet stepping ashore in New York City. She was both a prized guest and advertisement for a merchant firm--a promotional curiosity used to peddle exotic wares from the East. Over the next few years, she would shape Americans'' impressions of China even as she assisted her merchant sponsors in selling the largest quantities of Chinese goods yet imported for the burgeoning American market. Americans views of the exotic Far East in this early period before Chinese immigration were less critical than they would later become. Afong Moy became a subject of poetry, a trendsetter for hair styles and new fashions, and a lucky name for winning racehorses. She met Americans face to face in cities and towns across the country, appearing on local stages to sell and to entertain. Yet she also moved in high society, and was the first Chinese guest to be welcomed to the White House. However, this success was not to last. As her novelty wore off, Afong Moy was cast aside by her managers. Though concerned public citizens rallied in support, her fame dwindled and she spent several years in a New Jersey almshouse. In the late 1840s, P.T. Barnum offered Afong Moy several years of promising renewal as the compatriot of Tom Thumb, yet this stint too was short-lived. In this first biography, Nancy E. Davis sheds light on the mystery of Afong Moy''s life as a Chinese woman living in a foreign land.
Trade ReviewA remarkable volume, offering meticulous detail yet always delivering this content in engaging ways ... Davis' detail, with rich primary content and illustrations, is testament to her tenacious loyalty to an overlooked figure, and she should be lauded for her cohesive research despite limited sources for Moy's life. * Rebekah Lyndon, American Nineteenth Century History *
Davis's book is not only a triumph of historical scholarship and storytelling, but also a surprisingly human story that restores to Afong Moy much of the dignity her handlers, managers, and audiences denied her. * G. Patrick O'Brien, Kennesaw State University, H-Net *
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction Part One: Setting the Stage 1. The Cast 2. Behind the Scenes Part Two: The Show 3. The Curtain Rises 4. Afong Moy Presents Chinese Objects for the Person 5. Afong Moy Presents Chinese Objects for the Home Part Three: On Tour 6. New York to Charleston 7. Return to the North 8. Cuba and Up the Mississippi River Part Four: Finale 9. Off Stage 10. The Final Act Epilogue Notes Selected Bibliography Index
