Picture ① is the poster of the movie "The Wandering Earth 2", picture ② is the poster of the TV series "Three-Body Problem", and picture ③ is the poster of the movie "Lonely on the Moon".
【editor】
From the popularity of the novel "Three-Body Problem" all over the world, to the improvement of film and television productions such as "The Wandering Earth" and "Lonely Walking on the Moon", Chinese science fiction literature and art has flourished and flourished, and its overseas influence has continued to expand, becoming a high-profile literary phenomenon. The three articles in this issue focus on Chinese science fiction literature and art from different angles, revealing the innovative exploration of Chinese style and Chinese style in the field of science fiction, feeling the huge support behind science fiction from technological progress and the development of the times, and discussing Chinese-style imagination going global and future-oriented culture mission.
A Vibrant Literary Field
Alai
In essence, science fiction is a genre of literature and art, but it injects cutting-edge technological elements and scientific ideas into genre creation, so it brings people extraordinary feelings and influences. As early as the beginning of the 20th century, Mr. Lu Xun said when he translated and published the French science fiction writer Jules Verne's "Journey to the Moon", science fiction "is based on science, and based on human feelings". Today, scientific and technological innovation has become an important force in promoting Chinese-style modernization. With the emphasis on science and technology and the development of science and technology, science fiction literature and art naturally receive more attention.
About 20 years ago, when we launched the "Science Fiction World" magazine, we firmly determined to have a high starting point and to be able to communicate with the world. There are no other than two ways. One is to extensively and systematically translate and introduce the classics of world science fiction literature, and introduce the best works and writers in the world of science fiction literature to China; world. Many of the backbone of Chinese science fiction literature today, such as Wang Jinkang, Liu Cixin, Han Song, etc., grew up during that period.
During the period, we organized several science fiction conferences and invited world-class writers to have dialogues with local authors. These writers not only came, but also paid close attention to the development of Chinese science fiction. Today, the influence of Chinese science fiction literature in the world is growing, and it is attracting more and more attention from international counterparts. The same goes for sci-fi movies. When I was watching foreign science fiction blockbusters, I wondered when China would be able to make such a movie. The movie "The Wandering Earth" series has shown us such a possibility and such a reality. Relying on such a spirit, Chinese science fiction has reached an impressive scale and level in a few decades, becoming one of the most dynamic fields of literature and art.
Young contemporary sci-fi creators have love, passion, strong absorptive ability, and recognition and understanding of Chinese culture. These aspects interact to give birth to the unique temperament of Chinese sci-fi literature and art. The long historical heritage, profound cultural soil, and values passed down from generation to generation determine that Chinese science fiction must have different writings on human destiny and human value. The plot setting of "Take the earth to wander" in the movie "The Wandering Earth" is very characteristic of Chinese culture. In a critical moment, it is not to take a spaceship to find a new living space, but to take the earth away with the feelings of the homeland. There are many cultural factors like this in Chinese science fiction.
From this perspective, the dialogue between Chinese science fiction and the world must not only be exploratory in theme, but also be sensitive to the frontiers of science such as artificial intelligence and genetic engineering. The creative consciousness of creative transformation and innovative development. As a genre of literature and art, the creation of science fiction requires proficiency in genre programming, but the best works must transcend genres. This is true of many sci-fi classics. Writing the unique style of Chinese science fiction and breaking through the existing genre of science fiction are two aspects of one body and complement each other.
Faced with the continuous sci-fi fever in recent years, many publishing organizations, film and television companies, and cultural and creative organizations have joined in to plan and practice in the field of sci-fi industry. I sincerely hope that everyone can develop science fiction as a long-term career. While exploring the potential, we must also pay attention to the cultivation and cultivation of the creativity of the creative community. Science fiction creators also need to be determined: should they be satisfied with leading the way for three to five years, or pursue a continuously gushing writing life? Do you want to write for 3 years, or do you want to write for 30 years? Creators should take a long-term view and work hard on accumulation. On the one hand, improve one’s humanistic literacy, from the reading of literary classics to the absorption of scientific knowledge to the improvement of aesthetic cultivation, and constantly temper and forge creative ability; The ability to live and read society. We look forward to more outstanding creators accumulating and creating in the field of science fiction, and producing more high-quality works with Chinese style and style. (The author is vice chairman of the Chinese Writers Association and chairman of the Sichuan Writers Association)
Cultural mission to the world
Chen Qiufan
Looking back on the past 20 years since the beginning of the new century, it is not difficult to find that with the development of science and technology and changes in social life worldwide, the subject matter, form, and creation and dissemination of science fiction literature and art are all changing. Chinese science fiction in particular has become a striking landscape. Overseas readers and audiences are eager to learn from Chinese science fiction how Chinese people imagine the future and how they view technology and the relationship between human beings and all things. This has become one of the important reasons why Chinese science fiction has attracted the attention of the world.
In some emerging technology fields, China has been at the forefront of exploration. New technologies such as artificial intelligence and quantum communication will continue to provide a source of inspiration for science fiction creation. No matter how the content and form of science fiction change, its most important task is to explore how the power of science and technology affects and changes the way people view and interact with the world. This influence and change may be relatively subtle, and many people are not aware of it. What science fiction has to do is to defamiliarize commonplace things, thereby arousing people's thinking. Now science fiction creations have emerged to combine traditional culture (such as "China Orbit", "Xinxin Daily", etc.), explore ecological civilization (such as "Zero Carbon China", "Solid Ocean", etc.), focus on metaverse and artificial intelligence (such as "Anonymous Link", "AI Future Progression", etc.) as the theme of the new trend.
Science fiction is an open, diverse and inclusive genre of literature and art. Readers and audiences from all walks of life, such as technology practitioners, entrepreneurs, educators, and artists, draw inspiration from science fiction works, and science fiction creations also show an increasingly wide range of perspectives and styles. We have "Three-Body" works that are at the "top of the pyramid", and we also need a large number of works of various types and styles, so as to lay a solid foundation. Now many authors who write traditional literature and mystery novels also come to create science fiction novels, and they write very well, which leads to the integration of science fiction and other types of works such as reasoning, suspense, emotion, etc., creating new mixed genres and narrative styles, breaking through the tradition The boundaries of science fiction literature and art. With the integration of virtual reality, augmented reality and other technologies into science fiction film and television, the audience's audio-visual experience is constantly being refreshed.
Speaking of science fiction today, it is not only a literary style, but also includes comprehensive animation comics, film and television works, games, immersive experience theme parks and peripheral products, which gives science fiction creators a broader space. According to relevant reports, the total revenue of China's science fiction industry will be 82.96 billion yuan in 2021, a year-on-year increase of 50.5%. With the continuous development of China's consumer market, the demand for science fiction content will also increase. A sci-fi industry that starts from originality and at the same time continuously gathers cultural and creative forces, enriches forms of business, and extends the industrial chain is in the not-too-distant future.
As Chinese sci-fi literature and art become more and more popular internationally, new ways of international exchange and cooperation continue to emerge. Through publishing, translation, joint production, and industrial interaction, Chinese science fiction will create more excellent works that cross borders and have global influence. Of course, a sense of cultural mission is essential for Chinese science fiction to move towards the future. How to present the Chinese people's imagination of technology, the universe and the future to the world in a profound, elegant and lively way, and at the same time artistically integrate the essence of Chinese excellent traditional culture and aesthetics, convey the harmonious concept of sharing beauty and beauty, and presenting a harmonious concept for the construction of human destiny The in-depth thinking of the community is a topic before Chinese science fiction writers. (The author is a science fiction writer, deputy director of the Science Fiction Literature Committee of the Chinese Writers Association)
Photo provided by Li Di, Chief Scientist of "China Sky Eye"
Cultural Mapping of Technological Progress
Li Di
The popular science fiction novel "The Three-Body Problem" fictionalizes a "Red Shore Base" for exploring extraterrestrial civilizations. In reality, in addition to basic astronomical research, the daily work of the "China Sky Eye" (a 500-meter-aperture spherical radio telescope) also includes searching for extraterrestrial civilizations. As a scientist and fan of science fiction, I often feel the wonderful connection between science and science fiction.
Both scientific research and science fiction require the courage to face the unknown. Take the exploration of extraterrestrial civilizations as an example. Since the 1970s, large astronomical telescopes have launched signals loaded with information about human civilization into the deep space of the universe. "China Sky Eye" does not send out signals, but systematically searches for electromagnetic signals with intelligent characteristics from space. Does extraterrestrial civilization exist? If they exist, will aliens have friendly exchanges with humans? These are questions that currently have no answers. But without exploration, human beings can only passively accept any possibility. Science fiction creation is also a kind of exploration, and there may even be more and purer joy of exploration. I like Liu Cixin's works very much. In addition to "Three-Body Problem", there are also early works such as "Supernova Era", "Village Teacher" and "Earth Fire". In my opinion, the core of his works is not technology but people, which run through the prospect of human civilization and thinking about human nature, and the full humanistic care is moving.
The prosperity of science fiction literature and art and basic scientific research cannot be separated from a prosperous country and a vigorous era. In cutting-edge science, especially astronomy, the most important work is "discovery", and the major progress of "discovery" often relies on a leap in detection capabilities. Behind this leap is the support of strong national power. Take astronomy's youngest and most active research on fast radio bursts as an example. Fast radio bursts can release enough energy for human society to use for 1 trillion years in 1‰ second, and its discovery is of far-reaching significance. In 2022, "China Sky Eye" announced the world's first continuously active repetitive fast radio burst captured by it, numbered FRB 20190520B. Before the "China Sky Eye" was put into use, we lacked powerful tools in the field of fast radio burst research. Since its official operation in 2020, in less than 3 years, relying on this large scientific device supported by the state, we have achieved a leap from catching up, participating to local leadership in this emerging frontier. The discovery of FRB 20190520B benefited from my country's continuous investment in the construction of large scientific devices, and benefited from the efforts of several generations of Chinese astronomers represented by Mr. Nan Rendong.
Photo provided by Li Di, Chief Scientist of "China Sky Eye"
Like scientific research, science fiction creation is also inseparable from the soil of the times. Good works do not appear out of thin air, but are built on the basis of the entire national strength. The boundaries of science fiction imagination, the performance content and production level of science fiction film and television, all do not need the support of realistic technological conditions. As the director Guo Fan said, only a strong country can support a strong science fiction industry. When the Chinese built a space station and realized a space walk, and the audience saw the scene of Chinese astronauts leaving the cabin in "The Wandering Earth 2", they were very excited. No disobedience. It can be said that today's sci-fi craze is an inevitable reflection of the country's technological development in culture.
In emerging frontier fields such as fast radio bursts, Chinese scholars rely on self-designed and manufactured large scientific devices to continuously expand human horizons and bring more room for human imagination. As a researcher of basic science, I am particularly looking forward to the intense and mysterious celestial phenomena such as fast radio bursts not only being seen by scientists, but also thought of by science fiction writers, giving birth to more wonderful stories. I expect scientific research to enhance human imagination, and science fiction to inherit civilization for years.
I often tell the young people in the team that what we do must match the era we live in. The field I am engaged in still needs comprehensive learning and catching up. At the same time, I am very happy to see that the younger generation has the confidence to look at the world. We look forward to more and more originals in our science and our science fiction, more and more people who have what others have and what others have, more and more people who can look straight ahead and move forward indomitably. (The author is the chief scientist of "China Sky Eye" and a researcher at the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences)
