Still images of The Wandering Earth, featuring teenage actress Zhao Jinmai. [Photo provided to China Daily]

The project involves the building of 10,000 giant thrusters to propel the planet on its 2,500-year trek, while the population is relocated to live underground, as the surface-with the temperatures as low as -78 C-is blanketed with snow.

Wu stars as an astronaut who works aboard an international space station and has to be separated from his son-played by Qu-for more than a decade, but an unexpected peril unites the father and son to fight for not only their own survival, but that of the Earth and the entire human race.

Aside from the spectacular visuals, the film also features typical Chinese elements, such as Spring Festival celebrations in the underground city, and typical examples of Chinese parenting.

"This film is a very good start for Chinese sci-fi films. It's not inferior to Hollywood sci-fi blockbusters. Instead, it features a unique Chinese flavor," said Liu, during the Beijing premiere on Monday.

Liu added that the boom of sci-fi stories is bonded tightly with the strength of a nation, exemplified by the fact that sci-fi literature was first prosperous in the United Kingdom, but overtaken by the United States. He believes China's rise has created a sound environment for sci-fi works.

Although Liu's most renowned novel, the Hugo Award-winning Three-Body Problem, has already been adapted into a film, it has yet to be screened. This means that The Wandering Earth will be the first time that Liu's spectacular imagination will be brought to life on the silver screen.