"Science fiction is about the future, how China will turn out in the future and what are Chinese writers' imagination about the future is what stirs up Western readers' curiosity," Yao analyzed. "They are trying to see an Eastern perspective for the problems we are facing or may face in the future, like environmental pollution, or the recent meteorite incident in Russia," he added.

"We hope to send some new messages to the world through this Chinese special issue in SFS," said Wu, "Chinese sci-fi works have their own thinking. They hope to be freed from the ancient culture, and meanwhile seek independence in today's globalized world, whereas the Western parallels don't have such strong feelings," said Wu.

Right time for domestic works

Even though it is just at the beginning of its outbound travel, Chinese sci-fi is embracing an upsurge in the country as well. In history, since starting to appear in the late Qing Dynasty, science fiction in China experienced ups and downs under different social and political environments.

From the earliest work Lunar Colony in 1904 by a writer using the pen name "Huangjiao Diaosou," to famous Chinese writer Lao She's (1899-1966) novel Tale of Cat City, Chinese sci-fi before the founding of the People's Republic of China developed rather smoothly with abundant themes and styles. From 1949 until the Cultural Revolution (1966-76), sci-fi in China continued to reach its audience except that the style during this period was prone to reflect popular science books.

After a 10-year halt during the Cultural Revolution, Chinese sci-fi gradually recovered with representative works like From Earth to Mars, Flying to Centaurus by Zheng Wenguang (1929-2003: the forerunner of Chinese sci-fi), and Death Ray on a Coral Island by Tong Enzheng (1935-97).

But between 1983 and 1984, its development was once again disrupted being swept up with other non-mainstream forms of literature under the designation "spiritual pollution," causing great havoc to the production of leading sci-fi writers like Zheng, Tong, Ye Yonglie and Liu Xingshi.

After those peaks and valleys, the present day is a prime time for domestic sci-fi writers, according to Yao. "Leading sci-fi writers are now breaking the boundary of 'type writers,' and their works are favored by a wider range of readers like IT, TV and film employees and other white-collars, instead of just the sci-fi fans of before."

Besides, young writers like Jiang Bo and Chen Qiufan are quickly rising with their new style. "They have more sensitive and fertile imaginations and their works feature more literary elements," said Yao.

Source: Global Times