Hong Kong's First: KCR - The Early Days

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Ella Zoyara (b.1840-d.1879) was the star trick-rider of the Great World Circus, the first circus to ever come to town in Hong Kong. Six shows were given by the circus from March 27, 1868 before it left for its next destination - Manila. Unbeknown to the circus-goers in Hong Kong, the St. Louis born Zoyara was in fact a man named Omar Kingsley and that he was even married - to a woman named Sallie Stickney. Zoyara's "true" gender was discovered in Manila and as a result both she (he) and the circus master Adolf Gonsalez were thrown into jail.

This is one of the over 600 fun facts about Hong Kong, as far as the first of its kind events go, that are included in the Welcome page under Who's Who and What's What.