On twitter last week, Shanghai-based author and historian Derek Sandhaus (@dsandhaus for those who are tweet-ready) made the following comment:
“She who can truly ease the flame understands the Way.” -Heavenly King Hong Xiuquan channeling his inner Jim Morrison.”
I thought…wow, who wins in a Lizard King/Taiping smackdown?
So…channeling my inner Bill Simmons channeling his Dr. Jack, here is the breakdown:
Jim Morrison and his dead Indians, Hong Xiuquan and the Manchu demons, flaming swords, and the whole “God is my father” dream sequence in which he was commanded to purge the Earth of evil. EDGE: Hong Xiuquan
Educational achievement? Morrison famously walked out of UCLA film school and formed a rock and roll band that performed on Ed Sullivan. Hong just as famously flunked the provincial-level exams, had a nervous breakdown, and formed a God-Worshipping Society which went on to nearly topple an empire in a massive war that cost the lives of as many as 30 million people. EDGE: Hong Xiuquan
God complex? Hong Xiuquan was perhaps a bit clearer in his claims to be God’s son, but anyone who plays balance beam on the Venice Beach sea wall loudly proclaiming “I am the Lizard King, I can