ABSTRACT

The early years of the twenty-first century have witnessed a renewed interest in the activities and accomplishments of Tse Tsan Tai (pinyin: Xie Zuantai). Wendy Siuyi Wong’s Hong Kong Comics (2002) proclaimed Tse’s The Situation in the Far East the first cartoon created by a Chinese artist in Hong Kong. The South China Morning Post celebrated its centenary in November 2003 with a feature-length profile of Tse as its founder. Although these studies acknowledged the political dimension to Tse’s cartooning and newspaper enterprises respectively, neither referred to his association with secret societies. Furthermore, both pieces were written for a Hong Kong audience and made only passing reference to Tse’s Australian upbringing. This essay seeks to re-assert the importance of Tse’s Australian background and not only situate it within the context of his revolutionary activities, but also use it as a catalyst to explore his relationship with Chinese secret societies.