Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) Collection 《丹尼森的化装指南》
美国华人博物馆（MOCA）馆藏
This booklet puts on display the many stereotypes within America during the early 20 th century. Published in 1926, Denison’s guide was “written for the amateur actor and containing information of value to professionals in the art of making up for stage parts”. The ‘Chinese wig’ located on 68 of Denison’s guide shows a hairstyle referred to as the queue. Judging by Denison’s description, it appears this hairstyle and ‘The Chinaman’ character was used as a method of bringing about comedy. Denison emphasizes that the wig clings to the head and can also “stand a hard pull on the queue”. This hairstyle was a symbol of cultural identity for the Manchu people of China, which was then later imposed upon the Han Chinese during the Qing dynasty. However, at the end of the dynasty in the early 20 th century and the beginning of the Republic, the hairstyle became a symbol of resistance. In this description, the hairstyle entirely loses its cultural weight and shows a stereotypical and outdated view of Chinese individuals. Furthermore, it overlooks the complicated history of the queue. The Denison’s guide is important as it draws attention to a misunderstanding and the generalization of not just one but many cultures.
这本小册子展示了20世纪初美国国内的许多刻板印象。1926年出版的丹尼森指南是“为业余舞台表演爱好者而写的，也包含了给舞台表演艺术专业人士的有价值信息”。在指南第68页上的“中式假发”展示了一种被称作“辫子头”的发型。从丹尼森的描述来看，这个发型和“中国佬”这个角色被用来制造喜剧效果。丹尼森强调：假发紧贴头部，并且“它的辫子可以承受用力的拉扯”。这种发型是中国满族人文化身份的象征，后来在清朝被强加给汉人。然而，在20世纪初的清王朝末期和民国初期，这个发型成为了反抗的象征。在这个描述中，这个发型完全失去了它的文化分量，展现了一种对中国人的刻板和过时的看法。此外，它还忽略了“辫子头”背后的复杂深刻的历史背景。丹尼森指南是重要的，因为它让人们意识到了对不止一种文化的误解和概化解读。
Countdown to the TCS NYC Marathon on November 3, 2019: 216 Days.
2019年是美国第一条横贯大陆铁路建成150周年，为了纪念第一批华人来美建设这条铁路所做出的巨大贡献， MOCA将其2019 TCS NYC Marathon的活动命名为 MOCA Spike 150 – Running Forward With Our Stories！ 鼓励大家通过马拉松公益跑，全国线上接力，以及一天一个故事的方式讲述150个华人的历史故事，敬请大家持续关注， 讲出华人自己的故事，回顾过去，立足现在，展望未来，共同书写美国历史，使之更加充实完整。