Director

Afong Moy is fourteen years old when she’s brought to the United States from Guangzhou Province in 1834. Allegedly the first Chinese woman to set foot on U.S. soil, she has been put on display for the American public as “The Chinese Lady.” For the next half-century, she performs for curious white people, showing them how she eats, what she wears, and the highlight of the event: how she walks with bound feet. Soon her celebrated sideshow comes to define and challenge her very sense of identity. 

Inspired by the true story of Afong Moy’s life, The Chinese Lady is a dark, poetic, yet whimsical portrait of America through the eyes of a young Chinese woman.

EPSG:4326

The Chinese Lady

The Pear Theatre

Andrew Makepeace Ladd III and Melissa Gardner, both born to wealth and position, are childhood friends whose lifelong correspondence begins with birthday party thank-you notes and summer camp postcards. After exchanging letters through the years into adulthood, both lives marked by personal trials and tribulations, the two ultimately reconnect for a brief affair - only to realize it is too late for both of them. 

However, a final letter after one’s untimely death soon surfaces, illustrating how close they truly were to each other despite their physical distance - as close as only true lovers can be.

Wynne Chan

Director

Events

Past events

Apr 20 - May 12, 2024

The Chinese Lady · The Pear Theatre

Apr 19 - May 11, 2024

Love Letters · The Pear Theatre

About

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