It’s not often that the Eden-seekers I write about in Paradise Lust get any kind of recognition. Reverend Landon West is mentioned in a footnote on a plaque at the Serpent Mound State Park in Ohio.  The many fans of The Book of Mormon musical can all sing the sentence “I believe the Garden of Eden was in Jackson County, Missouri!” But that’s about it.

So I’m excited to announce that the Eden-seeker I’ve noticed myself referring to as my “favorite” more often than any other since the book came out, Tse Tsan Tai of 1914 Hong Kong, is getting some long-overdue cred. Aside from being the author of “The Creation, the Real Situation of Eden, and the Origin of the Chinese,”  this guy was the founder of Hong Kong’s still-existent major newspaper, as well as a businessman and leader of a secret revolutionary society planning to overthrow China’s floundering Qing dynasty.  His best friend, Yang Quyun, was to be the new republic of China’s president. That is, until he got shot in his own home by Qing assassins. (Sun Yat-sen, who you may have heard of, took on his mantle.) Quyun’s grave is now getting a new marker.

And today I learn that Quyun and Tse’s revolutionary headquarters is also getting a bit of a facelift.  They are building a garden on Pak Tze Lane to commemorate the work of these dedicated revolutionaries. Hear here!