“Jan. 17/94. Tai Choie alias Teen Fook was rescued by Miss Houseworth, Miss Florence Worley and some police officers from her inhuman mistress who lived on Jackson St. near Stockton St. The child had been very cruelly treated—her flesh pinched and twisted till her face was scarred. Another method of torture was to dip lighted candlewicking in oil and burn her arms with it. Teen Fook is a pretty child of about ten years old, rosy cheeked and fair complexion.” —Margaret Culbertson, director of the mission home, writing about Tien Fu Wu, 1894
When I visited the mission home, now called the Cameron House, in 2019 while researching this book, I met with associate director Cody Lee. I was very interested to hear more about Tien Fu Wu. This young woman's story absolutely stole my heart. I wanted to know what the proper way was to write her name, and Mrs. Lee told me, “Miss Cameron called her Tien, the girls called her Auntie Wu. At Cameron House, we usually refer to her by her whole name or Auntie Wu.” In my research, there were so many stories of her anger and lashing out at the mission home staff, but then she became the fiercest supporter and advocate of the mission work. I wrote a tribute to this wonderful woman whose example has touched me in many ways: https://mywriterslair.blogspot.com/2020/09/tien-fu-wu-dedicated-life.html
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