PARADOX OF PARADISE

The pursuit of paradise can be traced back to ancient religious texts that suggest locations such as a remote place on earth, a heavenly realm, or even on another planet. One example of a mystical utopia is the fabled land of Shangri-La. First appearing in the 1933 novel, Lost Horizon, by James Hilton, it was described as a harmonious paradise hidden in the Tibetan mountains—a place of enduring happiness isolated from the difficulties of the rest of the world. This orientalised utopia has influenced many other mystical locations in science fiction, perpetuating enduring and problematic stereotypes about Asia. Science fiction has often exposed the hidden social problems that can emerge in a so-called utopia, asking if finding paradise would truly offer eternal happiness.

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