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USA / China: Harriett Low Hillard (18 May 1809 – 1877). Portrait by George Chinnery, 1833

Harriett Low Hillard (18 May 1809 – 1877) was an American woman of letters and diarist. From 1829 to 1833 she lived in the Portuguese colony of Macau on the South China coast, becoming one of the first young American women to live in China. During her stay from 1829 to 1833, she wrote a journal in the form of letters to her older sister Molly (Mary Ann, 1808–1851), and became acquainted with many of the influential individuals in the colony.

Harriet arrived in Macau on September 29, 1829. She soon became acquainted with many of the well-known residents of Macau, including the painter George Chinnery, who painted her portrait; the Hong Merchant Mowqua; and the surgeon Thomas Richardson Colledge. Through her uncle's connections, she also became familiar with all the employees of the East India Company along with other prosperous British merchants in the city. As the only unmarried young woman in the colony, she was invited to many 'fancy balls, dances, teas and dinners'.

Low had a strong desire to visit Canton, the only foreign trading enclave permitted in China at the time. However, under the regulations of the Thirteen Factory System, women were strictly forbidden from entering. Low and her aunt dressed up like boys, sailed to Canton, and went straight to the American Factory. When the Chinese discovered the women's true identities, they threatened to stop all trade in Canton forthwith, forcing Low and her aunt to leave.

After her return to the United States, she married and moved to London, returning to New York with her husband and five daughters in 1848. Her journal is now part of the Low-Mills collection in the Library of Congress.