Lunch and Learn: Kuang Qizhao, the Chinese, and Mark Twain

Join us for a virtual presentation by Sam Wong and Evelyn Wong as they discuss the life of Kuang Qizhao, the official translator for the Chinese Educational Mission (CEM) in Hartford, Connecticut.

The CEM was the first time that the Chinese sent students abroad. Kuang was worked for the mission from 1874-83 and was a neighbor of Mark Twain’s. Reflecting his prominence in the neighborhood, according to The New Haven Register, if one wanted to visit with Kuang, he needed to get “the social endorsement” of Mark Twain or Joseph Twichell, Twain’s best friend.

This talk will discuss Kuang’s time in Hartford and his interactions with his neighbors—interactions which enabled him to formulate new ideas about how to modernize China. At the same time, Kuang astounded Americans by publishing A Dictionary of English Phrases, surprising many Americans that a Chinese person, a person from an “inferior” race, could compile a dictionary to teach them their own language.

English scholars now recognize that Twain’s literature was influenced by the Chinese in Hartford, and Kuang may have had an instrumental impact. Building on that scholarship, this talk will provide specific examples of how Kuang and the Chinese may have influenced Twain, particularly in Twain’s overlooked play called Ah Sin, and then in his more famous books, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court.

This virtual event is free and open to the public. Get free tickets to receive the Zoom link.

Questions? Contact Jen Busa, Public Programs Coordinator at jbusa@connecticutmuseum.org.