Description In 1834, a young Chinese woman named Afong Moy arrived in America, her bound feet stepping ashore in New York City.
Her research in museums and as a lecturer has frequently addressed aspects of Asian influence on American culture..
She has worked as a public historian in local, state, and national museums for more than forty years.
Davis is curator emeritus of Home and Community Life at the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution.
About the Author Nancy E.
Davis sheds light on the mystery of Afong Moy\'s life as a Chinese woman living in a foreign land.
In this first biography, Nancy E.
Barnum offered Afong Moy several years of promising renewal as the compatriot of Tom Thumb, yet this stint too was short-lived.
T.
In the late 1840s, P.
Though concerned public citizens rallied in support, her fame dwindled and she spent several years in a New Jersey almshouse.
As her novelty wore off, Afong Moy was cast aside by her managers.
However, this success was not to last.
Yet she also moved in high society, and was the first Chinese guest to be welcomed to the White House.
She met Americans face to face in cities and towns across the country, appearing on local stages to sell and to entertain.
Afong Moy became a subject of poetry, a trendsetter for hair styles and new fashions, and a lucky name for winning racehorses.
Americans views of the exotic Far East in this Early period before Chinese immigration were less critical than they would later become.
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.
She was both a prized guest and advertisement for a merchant firm--a promotional curiosity used to peddle exotic wares from the East.
Description In 1834, a young Chinese woman named Afong Moy arrived in America, her bound feet stepping ashore in New York City
