Fans experience VR technology and interact with a mascot at a 2017 International Science Fiction Conference exhibition.

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The 2017 China Science Fiction Conference and the fourth International Science Fiction Conference kicked off on Nov. 11 in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province.

Organized by the China Association for Science and Technology, the China Science Fiction Conference is the nation’s only state-level conference for the genre. The first session was held in Beijing in 2016. The International Science Fiction Conference will become a permanent biannual event in Chengdu.

These two science fiction events provided fans with a feast of imagination and attracted nearly 200 participants, including vice-chairman of the 75th World Science Fiction Convention Crystal Huff, chairman of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of Japan Fujii Taiyo, “the dean of Canadian science fiction” Robert J. Sawyer, multiple Hugo Award-winning and Nebula Award-winning Science Fiction writer Michael Swanwick as well as domestic science fiction writers represented by Liu Cixin, He Xi and Bao Shu.

What chemistry will spark when scientists meet science fiction writers? These discussions constantly took place during the conferences. “The short interviews greatly enriched our minds,” said science fiction writer Xia Jia, who majored in physics at Peking University. As a guest anchor, she gathered such people as Hugo Award-winning writer Liu Cixin, chief designer of Lunar Palace 1 Liu Hong and a research fellow of physics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences Ding Hong, entertaining the audience with a discussion about the interdependence between science and science fiction.

More than 40 themed forums, speeches and conversations were held. Also, there was a wide range of activities, such as the Global Science Fiction Summit, the China Galaxy Award Ceremony for Science Fiction, a science fiction products exhibition as well as an international festival for Science Fiction Films. The forums provided new angles by touching upon such topics as science fiction’s arrival in mainstream literature, science fiction’s role in expanding public knowledge, Sichuan in the Chinese history of science fiction and the orientation of global science fiction.

“Interaction among different fields took place in the conferences, where domestic and foreign science fiction dialogued with each other. The encounter of science and literature was also a highlight,” said Yao Haijun, deputy editor-in-chief of the World of Science Fiction magazine.

The conference integrated the whole industry, including publishing, animation, films, VR and games, demonstrating the strength of the science fiction sector and promoting its development. Companies and organizations attracted a larger audience by providing them with an immersive experience and opportunities to roleplay. The sales volume of science fiction at the events was impressive as well.

The thriving of science fiction companies includes the emerging development of films and television as well as animation. Huai Jinpeng, vice-president of the China Association of Technology, pointed out the current challenges of Chinese science fiction sector: “Compared to global leaders, China lags behind in terms of the amount of science fiction and excellent works. There are few organizations and national-level awards for science fiction across China. The sector needs further promotion, because the development of relevant films and television, cartoons, games and theme parks is still at an initial stage. The popular science fiction films among youths are mostly created by Europe, the United States and Japan,” he said.

The release of the Chengdu Declaration of Science Fiction was a landmark event of the China Science Fiction Conference. In the declaration, the organizing committee announced the establishment of a so-called China science fiction paradise and the Sichuan Provincial Association of Science Fiction. Such moves will definitely fuel the sector in the area.
Better development requires leadership as well as a pool of talent and resources, said Wu Yan, a professor from Southern University of Science and Technology with a long-term research focus on science fiction.

Chengdu has become a center of Chinese science fiction. It witnessed the birth of high-impact brands across China and the world, such as the World of Science Fiction magazine and the Galaxy Award. The city has a spirit of innovation, imagination and exploration, providing fertile soil for the development of science fiction. It has not only cultivated a batch of sci-fi writers but also created game products worth tens of billions of yuan and has become an important base for animation, said Wu Xiankui, vice-president of Sichuan Provincial Association for Science and Technology.

The development of a China sci-fi paradise theme park will boost the sector and integrate with internet technology. Chengdu has the potential to become the center of China’s science fiction industry. At the same time, academic studies on science fiction will be strengthened and a cooperative platform for domestic and global exchanges will be established, thus providing a driving force for the innovation of science fiction with Chinese characteristics.