The Chinese Lady: A Novel
Bo Wang
(HarperVia, 2026)

In the early 1800s, one young woman whose name has been lost to history became the first Chinese female in the US. From her home in Canton, China, to P.T. Barnum’s American Museum, to the San Francisco Gold Rush, the Chinese Lady’s story, as told by those around her, unfolds in fascinating layers that mirror her life as an object on display. Combining archival research and imaginative storytelling, the novel weaves a tale of endurance amidst hardship and betrayal – ultimately leading to a true home for the Chinese Lady.

This event is presented in partnership with Rehoboth Beach Writers Guild.

About the Author
Bo Wang became a teacher after studying history and literature at Harvard, where she went on to earn her PhD in educational leadership. Wang lives with her family in Boston, where she founded Little Tiger Strategic Storytelling to help mission-driven organizations tell their stories. This is her debut novel.

Purchase the book
Please help support local independent bookstores by purchasing this book at Browseabout Books, official bookseller of the History Book Festival. Online sources and digital versions are tempting; however, supporting local brick and mortar shops helps to preserve our vibrant main streets. Drop by Browseabout, order books online, or call the store at 302-226-2665. You also may purchase a copy at biblion in Lewes.

About the Festival
The History Book Festival is the first and only book festival in the United States devoted exclusively to history. With the help of our presenting funding partner —  The Lee Ann Wilkinson Group, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices | PenFed Realty — as well as our program and community partners, volunteers, and donors, the 2026 History Book Festival will be full of great discussions with authors of newly published narrative nonfiction and historical fiction. 

Thanks to all our donors, especially our education and outreach funding partners: Carolyn & Aaron Nayer, Jen Mason & Clare Hancock, the Red Wagon Foundation, and Browseabout Books. HBF authors visit classrooms in Delaware, and HBF provides their books to schools, libraries, and community organizations.

Our Keynote event is presented by Griswold Home Care for Sussex & Kent Counties and Groome Church; our Closing event is presented by the Delaware Community Foundation. The Spirited Discussion, our gathering for attendees and presenters to celebrate and discuss their day, is presented by Dogfish Head Beer & Benevolence.

Special thanks to our Program Partners for their continuing support: the Lewes Public Library for event promotion and production; Browseabout Books in Rehoboth Beach, official bookseller of the History Book Festival; and Historic Lewes for event promotion and author hospitality. Thanks also to the Lewes Chamber of Commerce for event promotion, and the Cape Gazette and Delmarva Public Media, our media partners.