During the 19th century, there were far more Chinese men abroad than women. Mui Tsai women were bonded to affluent Chinese families as maidservants or concubines. Amahs worked as paid domestic servants overseas. Some lived in collective sisterhoods and refused to couple with men. China Mary was a pioneer woman in Sitka, Alaska. Oei Hui-lan was the daughter of a Javanese sugar merchant and married the future Chinese Ambassador to Great Britain and the United States. Chinese women overseas had influence and made their mark on their new communities, including in Malaya and Singapore.

Image: "Portrait of a smiling, elderly Chinese woman" by simpleinsomnia is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

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