My Life in China and America · Chapter
III: Journey to America and First Experiences There explained
Yung Wing and his companions embark from Whompoa on the ship Huntress, enduring a dramatic gale at the Cape of Good Hope and stopping at St.
What happens
Yung Wing and his companions embark from Whompoa on the ship Huntress, enduring a dramatic gale at the Cape of Good Hope and stopping at St. Helena, where they visit Napoleon's empty tomb. They arrive in New York in April 1847, then travel to New Haven to see Yale College, and eventually settle in East Windsor, Connecticut, where they attend the church of Rev. Shubael Bartlett and find a temporary home at the parsonage.
Themes in this chapter
The West as Model and Mentor
Yung Wing's journey to America and his reception by American families like the Bartletts and Browns illustrates the theme of the West as a source of education and guidance.
Cultural Identity and Belonging
The three Chinese boys are the 'cynosure' of the church congregation, highlighting their status as outsiders and their initial experiences of cultural difference.
Characters to notice
- Yung Wing
Narrator of the journey, describes his first impressions of America and his stay at the Bartlett parsonage.
- Mr. Brown
Accompanies the boys on the voyage, plants willow twigs from St. Helena at his residence in Auburn.
- Rev. Shubael Bartlett
Pastor of East Windsor Congregational Church, described as a precise and solemn Puritan, host to the boys.
- Mrs. Brown
Wife of Dr. Brown, her parents are the Bartletts, and she is part of the family hosting the boys.
- Prof. David E. Bartlett
First friend made in New York, professor at the Asylum for the Deaf and Dumb, later in Hartford.
- Mrs. Bartlett
Wife of Prof. Bartlett, remembered for her Christian character and kindness.
Key passages
“We were the cynosure of the whole church. I doubt whether much attention was paid to the sermon that day.”
The three Chinese boys attracted so much attention that the congregation likely paid little attention to the sermon.
Yung Wing humorously notes the distraction caused by their presence.
“His habits and daily life were as regular as clock work.”
Rev. Bartlett's daily routine was extremely predictable and orderly.
Describing the Puritan minister's precise lifestyle.