Coming September 8, 2026
The Chinese Lady
Afong Moy, Ah Foy, or Julia Foochee-ching-chang-king...
The newspapers called her by many names, but her true name has been lost to time.
In 1834, two American merchants brought a young Chinese girl to New York as a live exhibit to promote the sale of Chinese imports. Although she catapulted into instant fame as the first Chinese female in the United States, almost nothing is known about who she really was and what became of her after she disappeared from the public eye.
Wang fills in history’s gaps to tell a sweeping, multi-layered story about survival, identity, and a woman’s relentless pursuit of agency in a world determined to define her.
“An exceptional debut—exquisitely written, emotionally fearless, and historically revelatory. Bo Wang delivers an immersive historical novel of rare emotional intelligence and narrative power. I couldn’t put it down.”
—Jennifer Chiaverini, New York Times bestselling author of Canary Girls“Wang’s fresh voice offers a glimpse into a forgotten woman of history.”
—The Library Journal