China and the West

Dickinson, Emily. Letters. Ed. by Mabel Loomis Todd. Vol. 1-2. (Boston, Mass. : Roberts Brothers, 1894).
http://archive.org/stream/lettersofemilydi00dick/lettersofemilydi00dick_djvu.txt.
Letter From Emily Dickinson to Mrs Strong (1846).
I have been to Mount Auburn, to the Chinese Museum, to Bunker Hill ; I have attended two concerts and one Horticultural Exhibition… The Chinese Museum is a great curiosity. There
are an endless variety of wax figures made to resemble the Chinese, and dressed in their costume. Also articles of Chinese manufacture of an innumerable variety deck the rooms. Two of the Chinese go with this exhibition. One of them is a professor of music in China, and the other is teacher of a writing-school at home. They were both wealthy, and not obliged to labor, but they were also opium-eaters ; and fearing to continue the practice lest it destroyed their lives, yet unable to break the 'rigid chain of habit' in their own land, they left their families, and came to this country. They have now entirely overcome the practice. There is something peculiarly interesting to me in their self-denial. The musician played upon two of
his instruments, and accompanied them with his voice. It needed great command over my risible faculties to enable me to keep sober as this amateur was performing ; yet he was so very polite to give us some of his native music that we could not do otherwise than to express ourselves highly edified with his performances. The writing-master is constantly occupied in writing the names of visitors who request it, upon cards in the Chinese language, for which he charges 12 cents a piece. He never fails to give his card besides to the persons who wish it. I obtained one of his cards for Viny and myself, and I consider them very precious…