1: Afong Moy | Barnum & Baileys "Chinese Lady": The First Chinese Woman to Come to the United States

Afong Moy | Barnum & Baileys "Chinese Lady": The first ever documented Chinese woman to come to the United States in 1834. Afong Moy’s case is a fascinating one, as it crosses lines between capitalism and exoticism. Afong Moy, as a Chinese woman, as a person rather, was used as an exhibition. And it sounds bizarre —because it is. She was marketed as a “Chinese Doll” and put into a literal box, ornamented with paintings as she drank tea, used chopsticks and spoke Chinese. This was done as a capitalistic strategy to garner American interest in buying Chinese goods. Unique for her time, Afong Moy experienced the conjoining of two worlds—that of the market and the theater.

Today we will be discussing:

• Afong Moy’s Known Employment with the Carnes Brothers & Later the Barnum & Bailey Circus.
• The conditions of her Exhibition Space in New York in 1848; shared with Tom Thumb.
• The changing political climate of Chinese & US relations during Afong Moy’s 17 year stay in the United States & how this effected her overall treatment by both the carnival goers & her employers. 
• Exploring how Barnum & Bailey’s Exploitative tactics worked to discredit Afong Moy to later replace her with a new woman: Miss Pwan Yee Koo, whom they dubbed the “Chinese Belle”.

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