[6][7] In 1834, Moy was brought from her hometown of Guangzhou to New York City by traders Nathaniel and Frederick Carne, and exhibited as "The Chinese Lady".

Moy was the first Chinese woman to achieve fame throughout the U.S. She toured the United States, was given press coverage, and met U.S. President Andrew Jackson.

[1] While it is not clear how Moy was able to leave China and find her way to the U.S., her journey is widely attributed to two American merchants, the brothers Nathaniel and Frederic Carne.

In the early 1800s, the Carne brothers worked with ship captain B. T. Obear to start a new business and draw further attention to Chinese goods in New York.

Some sources suggest that Moy was the daughter of a privileged family, and that her father accepted payments for her temporary move to the United States.

[10] Other sources hint that she had left China to earn money to send back to her parents in Guangzhou, who were unable to support her.

[11] Initially, Moy could not speak English, but could communicate effectively through her interpreter, a Chinese man named "Atung" or "Acong".

[1] As her exhibition in New York gained fame, Moy embarked on a trip across the United States, visiting major cities including New Haven, Philadelphia, Washington, Baltimore, Richmond, Norfolk, Charleston, New Orleans, and Boston.

[4] But in December, she was still in the United States; supposedly she had not been able to find a ship back to China, but more likely the claimed plans for departure were just an advertising tactic to increase ticket sales.

[18] Following press coverage of Moy's situation, the authorities of Monmouth County, New Jersey, boarded her in the local poorhouse at public expense.

[18] After more shows in New York, Boston, and Philadelphia, Moy performed at a venue on Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, D.C., in November 1849.

In this performance, her name was advertised as Afong Moy Nanchoy, suggesting that she had been married, possibly to a man who was also of Cantonese origin.

[12] The New-York Commercial Advertiser described Moy as a "healthy, bouncing girl", with a "complexion tinged with copper but sufficiently transparent, revealing that roses are blooming beneath her skin".

[18] Moy's influence and regular interaction with the American public provided her a platform to counter particular stereotypes of Chinese women, even as she struggled for her survival in the United States.

Scholars have argued that Moy blurred the lines between the dominant "Lotus Blossom" and "Dragon Lady" stereotypes of Asian women.