The Story of Super Magician, Ching Ling Foo

For fans of illusionism, history and epic tales, this talk is for you. On the eve of the 20th century at the height of antiChinese xenophobia and the Chinese Exclusion Act, magician Ching Ling Foo overcomes on-stage attacks, headline generating deportation attempts, homeland tragedy, crooked managers and a diabolically clever American copycat to become the highest paid and most popular act in the United States – twice! As described by Jim Steinmeyer, one of magic history’s preeminent historians and illusionists, it’s a story that could not have been told in the days of Ching Ling Foo’s success. Foo’s career was so intermingled with the secrecy of magic, the stereotypes of Asian culture, and the exaggerations of vaudeville publicists that it seemed inevitable that this wizard would be shrouded in layers of mystery.

Moderator: David Lomastro, Consul General, Belgian Consulate Hong Kong