Ignite future imagination and stimulate vitality – written at the closing of the 2023 Chengdu World Science Fiction Conference
Xinhua News Agency, Chengdu, October 22
On October 22, the five-day Chengdu World Science Fiction Conference 2023 came to a successful conclusion in Chengdu. This was also the first time that China held a World Science Fiction Conference. Gathering the world‘s top science fiction writers, editors, practitioners, etc., more than 200 themed activities including exhibitions, forums, and salons allowed science fiction fans around the world to enjoy a wonderful “science fiction party.”
Openness, diversity and enrichment ignite future imagination
On the evening of the 21st, the 2023 Hugo Awards were announced at the 2023 Chengdu World Science Fiction Conference. Chinese writer Hai Miao won the Best Short Novella Award for “The Painter of Space and Time”.
This is also the first time that the Hugo Awards are announced and awarded in China. It was Liu Cixin, China’s first Hugo Award winner, who awarded this honor to Hai Miao. When Haiyang, a “post-90s generation”, took the trophy from Liu Cixin, a “post-60s generation”, the audience burst into warm applause, allowing people to see the inheritance between the two generations of Chinese science fiction.
At this science fiction conference, more than 200 themed activities set up a platform for the “collision” of ideas in the global science fiction community. “I had in-depth exchanges with colleagues from all over the world, which gave me a lot of inspiration.” German science fiction writer Brandon Morris said.
“This is a wonderful World Science Fiction Convention.” Ben Yallo, co-chairman of the 2023 Chengdu World Science Fiction Convention, made no secret of his admiration. In his view, on the one hand, Western readers have the opportunity to see China’s huge science fiction market and fan base through this conference, and absorb more Chinese cultural elements; on the other hand, he also hopes that Chinese science fiction fans can take this opportunity to interact with Sci-fi fans from all over the world enhance communication.
The accelerated rise of industries stimulates innovation vitality
Tianfu Science Fiction Film Exhibition, World Science Fiction Conference’s First Industry Development Summit… At this star-studded science fiction feast, science fiction practitioners gathered together to discuss the future development trends of China’s science fiction industry.
In recent years, with the emergence of internationally influential domestic science fiction film and television works such as the “Wandering Earth” series of movies and the “Three-Body” TV series, the development of China’s science fiction industry has also attracted much attention. The “2023 China Science Fiction Industry Report” released in May shows that in 2022, China’s science fiction industry will have total revenue of 87.75 billion yuan, showing an overall stable and positive development trend.
Ben Yaluo and other industry insiders believe that this science fiction conference has led to the continued rise of the “science fiction craze”. With the rise of emerging industries such as “science fiction + cultural tourism” and “science fiction + animation”, the upstream and downstream chains of China’s science fiction industry will gradually be opened up. , China’s science fiction industry will produce more super IPs, which will not only bring people a richer, more interesting, cross-border and diverse science fiction experience, but also inject more momentum into urban economic development.
As a new track with development potential, China’s science fiction industry is currently showing a “science fiction +” multi-format development trend. “In the past five years, under the background of ‘science fiction craze’, my country’s science fiction industry has achieved fruitful development results.” Chen Ling, secretary-general of the Chinese Science Writers Association and executive deputy director of the China Science Fiction Research Center, told reporters that the science fiction industry is a fusion of culture and technology. Industry, currently, China’s science fiction industry is entering a stage of rapid development, with strong development momentum in various sectors. “Of course, the future development of China’s science fiction industry still needs to cultivate the land and encourage more IP incubation, transformation and scene creation.” She said.
This conference also released the “Tianwen” plan, which was jointly launched by the Chinese Writers Association and the World Science Fiction Conference Organizing Committee. It includes a science fiction award “Tianwen Award” and multiple actions to promote the integrated development of China and the global science fiction industry. , which is conducive to discovering science fiction talents, supporting science fiction works, and promoting the integrated development of the science fiction industry.
“We very much appreciate the plan to establish the ‘Tianwen Prize’. It is not only for China, but also for the world.” Dave McCarty, a member of the Hugo Award Selection Committee, said that the “Tianwen Prize” will be a way for Chinese science fiction to integrate into the world. An important channel for science fiction.
The booming science fiction industry also has a positive effect on improving the scientific quality of the entire population. “For example, science fiction movies contain a large number of scientific elements, which can stimulate the public’s interest in science in a unique way, generate public demand for science, and help create a good atmosphere of caring about and discussing science in the whole society,” Chen Ling said.
Sow “seeds” to let more science fiction “illuminate” into reality
“Science fiction itself is a highly innovative literary subject. It can stimulate the imagination of young people, broaden their horizons, and make them interested in the unknown world and science.” At this conference, science fiction writer Liu Cixin believed that, The most benign state of the development of Chinese science fiction should be that a hundred flowers bloom, with many styles and themes. At present, China’s science fiction is also developing in a relatively good direction.
Ben Yarrow said that this World Science Fiction Conference will make more people in China more interested in understanding science fiction and trying science fiction creation, that is, imagining many vivid scenes of the future world and presenting these scenes through different novels, animations, movies, etc. “We can work hard to create them in reality based on some high-tech products that appear in these scenes.”
Writer Alai believes that the greatest impact of this “looking up at the stars” science fiction conference is that it can ignite society’s imagination about the future and create an atmosphere of bold imagination about the future based on science. (Reporters Dong Xiaohong, Wen Jinghua, Li Qianwei, Li Like)