The Chinese Village Exhibit at the 1899 Export Exposition
The documents below are identification papers for Lee Tso, Louis Wai, and Ah Chue – people who were “on exhibit” at the 1899 Export Exposition in Philadelphia as part of a replica “Chinese Village.” Because of the Chinese Exclusion Act, they had to get special permission to enter the United States.
One challenge is that we know very little about the lives of the people who were part of this exhibit. Here we will explore what can be revealed just by the process of asking questions.
To the extent possible under law, National Archives Foundation has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to “The Chinese Village Exhibit at the 1899 Export Exposition”