The Borough of Norfolk residents woke up to an interesting newspaper article one morning in Norfolk, Virginia. The year was May 1835 and the Borough of Norfolk had its first Chinese woman come to visit. This beautiful young Chinese lady had a successful career on stage in New York City, displaying her culture and traditions of the old country called China. Miss Moy exhibited her language, Chinese characters, expensive silks, clothing, incense in the air, and especially her 4-inch little feet, a result of foot binding. The Norfolk residents were captivated and thrilled to see this little woman displaying her culture. She is believed to be the first known female Chinese immigrant to visit and tour the United States. She was a curiosity here in Norfolk, like everywhere in the United States. She was a traveling sensation throughout our country. Citizens were amazed at her attire and her exquisite manners.
Afong Moy came from Canton City, China, now known as Guangzhou. She was reported to be the daughter of a distinguished citizen, her parents being of a higher social economic status. Her father lived in the affluent suburbs of Canton.
It is not known how Moy was able to leave China and find her way to the United States. Her journey is widely attributed to two men, American merchants, Nathaniel & Frederic Carne. The Carne brothers worked closely with Captain B. T. Obear in starting up a business of Chinese goods in New York. To advertise and elevate their business, the Carne brothers exhibited a Chinese Woman with all her traditional clothes and furnishings in making their business a successful venture. This beautiful Chinese lady, Miss Moy, would get westerners to develop a fascination for Chinese goods.
When she arrived in New York, Afong Moy was identified by local newspapers as, “Julia Foochee ching-chang king” the daughter of “Hong wang-tzee-king, Miss Ching-Chang-foo, Miss Keo-O-Kwang King” and other different spellings. This was probably to help Americans know how to pronounce her name. Upon arriving in the United States, Afong Moy could not speak English, but communicated through her interpreter, a Chinese man named Atung or Acong.
On November 6, 1834, Moy gave her first performance at the Exhibition Hall at Number 8, Park Place, New York. She was a sensation and more advertisements spread throughout the newspapers of New York and other capital cities throughout the East coast. She was described as 19 years old, 4 feet 10 inches tall, and dressed in her national costume. Her feet were just four inches in length. Her wardrobe was elaborate and expensive. Her colors, especially baby blue silk, were beautiful with superb Chinese gold embroidery along with beautiful lace.
The cost to see Miss Moy was only 50 cents, children were 25 cents. She was viewed from 10 AM to 2 PM and from 5 PM to 9 PM. She sat on a small throne with all her rich Chinese silks, incense, and decorative objects of her homeland all around her. On stage she would show people her Chinese social practices, singing traditional songs, and using chopsticks to eat. The best part of her show was when she walked across the small stage. She was such a sensation! Miss Moy would later appear at the American Museum, Peal’s Museum and Brooklyn Institute.
As her exhibition gained much fame, she embarked on a trip across the United States, visiting various major cities like New Haven, Connecticut, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Maryland, Richmond and Norfolk Virginia, Charleston, South Carolina, and New Orleans, Louisiana. When she was in Washington, she met President Andrew Jackson, the 7th President of the United States. He was quite impressed with this young lady. And in New York, the famous lithograph firm published a beautiful lithograph of her titled, The Chinese lady.”
In 1836 the Evening Post of Washington, D. C. stated that Miss Moy had visited every town in the United States. In 1836 we only had 25 states. She had returned to New York to say farewell before returning to her native China. The Pittsburgh Gazette said she intended to return to China. However, something happened. She reappeared in New York in 1837 to a much loved audience. However, in April 1838 rumors were spreading that she was in financial difficulty. She ended up in a New York’s poor house until some of her American friends came to her aid and she returned to the New York’s Exhibition Hall where she had started her career. In 1847 she was back in the public’s eye doing shows. She also picked up the English language and by 1849 and 1850 she was doing her shows under a new name, Afong Moy Nanchoy. This new name could have been her husband’s name.
Moy's last public appearance was in April 1850 in a New York City hotel. Rumors had it that she had gone back to her native China. Another rumor stated she was traveling doing shows in Europe.
It’s sad that the records of her life end here. What happened to Moy, we do not know. However, we do know Afong Moy made a big difference in the United States and here in the Borough of Norfolk. She presented a fantastic show, displaying her rich heritage of China. Her performance was pure, and she captivated the audience. Her manners, wardrobe, and her exquisite voice made her a sensation wherever she went.
Like so many stage performers, she has fallen through the cracks of time. Miss Moy might not have spoken English very well, but she was the first Chinese lady to come to the United States and the first Chinese lady to visit Norfolk, Virginia, in the spring of May 1835. She has gone down in history as a beautiful, gifted, exquisite performer who captivated her audiences so long ago.
American Beacon May 22, 1935
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Robert B. Hitchings is a seventh generation Norfolk resident, graduating with an Associate's Degree in Biology from Old Dominion University and BA in history from Virginia Wesleyan University. During his studies he was awarded a scholarship at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, England, and he was an exchange student at Brooks-Westminster College, Oxford, England. From 1999-2014 he worked as head of the Sargeant Memorial History Room at Norfolk Public Library, and since then has headed the Wallace History Room at Chesapeake Public Library. He is also the President of the Norfolk County Historical Society, and for six years was a columnist for The Virginian-Pilot. Robert may be reached at nchs.wallaceroom@gmail.com
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