The Chinese Lady at BLUEBARN Theatre

Brought from Guangzhou in 1834 as an “exotic oddity” The Chinese Lady follows the true story of the first woman from China to enter America. Afong Moy is paraded around for the American public to indulge their voyeuristic curiosities by delivering a performance of her “ethnicity.” Over the course of 55 years, Afong Moy begins to challenge her views of herself, her culture in the hands of others, and her disconnect from her homeland while grappling with her search for her own identity in America.

“By the end of Mr. Suh’s extraordinary play, we look at Alfong and see whole centuries of American history. She’s no longer the Chinese lady. She is us.”  ~The New York Times