Walk through the streets of New York Chinatown a century ago and one would have seen the faces of only a few Chinese women. Discriminatory Chinese exclusion laws passed by the United States in 1882 coupled with cultural apprehension created what was known as a "bachelor society," where Chinese male workers established economic roots in America in order to provide for their families in China. Finding employment in occupations deemed menial, a large proportion of these men worked 16-hour days in the "8-pound life," hoisting a bulky 8 lb steam iron in the city's first Chinese laundries, while enduring what was often times a very lonely lifestyle.

Such stirring stories of struggles, triumphs and human dignity are brought to life in this unique and intimate museum through hundreds of rare and revealing artifacts. You'll discover an eloquent, century-old letter from a wife in Hong Kong whose husband came to America several years before, as well as a love poem penned by a Chinese American soldier during World War II. You'll marvel at a tiny embroidered slipper worn by a Chinese immigrant until she arrived in America, and was free to unbind her feet. And you'll leave with a unique perspective on the Chinese immigrants who arrived in America possessing only their dreams and their honor, but who left a legacy in American history.