“What stories could this peak tell?” I wonder as we approach Mong Lau Tsai. Mong Lau Tsai translated means lookout pavilion. It is more than just a high point. It is a place steeped in history. It offers stunning views.
Let’s delve into the story of Tse Tsan-tai. He was an Australian Chinese revolutionary. Tse was born in Grafton, New South Wales in 1872. He later moved to Hong Kong. Tse attended The Government Central School. This is now Queen’s College. He then worked for the Public Works Department. He stayed there for almost ten years.
Tse Tsan-tai had an inventive mind. He claimed to have designed the world’s first steerable airship in 1894. He called it “CHINA”. Tse wrote to Hiram S. Maxim in 1899. Maxim’s company was also building airships. Tse provided drawings. He explained how his design would steer airships using propellers. The airship was cigar-shaped. It was enclosed in an aluminum shell. This would protect it from enemy missiles.
Maxim responded. He claimed he already possessed Tse’s secrets. Coincidentally, Count Zeppelin launched his first rigid airship that same year in Germany. Zeppelin’s plans predated Tse’s designs. He had patented his design in 1895.
Tse Tsan-tai was also an anti-Qing dynasty revolutionary. In 1892, Tse started the Furen Literary Society. His partners were Yeung Ku-wan and others. The society’s guiding principle was “Love your country with all your heart”. In 1895, it merged into the Revive China Society. Yeung and Sun Yat-sen became president and secretary. Tse remained in Hong Kong when they fled overseas.
After Yeung’s assassination in 1901, Tse sought justice. He worked with his father, brother and triads. They plotted an uprising in Canton. They aimed to establish the State of Great Ming Heavenly Kingdom. This would be a democratic state. They planned to destroy the Emperor’s Temple. They would kill all officials there. The plot was leaked.
Tse also co-founded the South China Morning Post in 1903. He wrote the first declaration of the Revive China Society. It was an open letter to the Guangxu Emperor in English.
Tse Tsan-tai was a Christian too. He wrote a book in 1914. It was called The Creation, the Garden of Eden and the Origin of the Chinese. He argued that the Garden of Eden was in modern-day Xinjiang. Many Biblical events occurred near China.
After the Xinhai Revolution in 1911, Tse wasn’t involved in the government. He died in 1938. Tse was buried in Hong Kong.
Standing here at Mong Lau Tsai we remember Tse Tsan-tai. He was a revolutionary. He was an inventor. Tse was a newspaper founder. From this vantage point we see not just the landscape. We also see the legacy of a man who dreamed of a different future. His story is forever etched in the history of this place.