Cosmic Futures: The Universe of Chinese Contemporary Science Fiction

Science fiction from China is booming worldwide and was already long before Netflix released Liu Cixin’s Three Body Problem earlier this year. What makes Chinese contributions to this genre so globally successful? What are the specific characteristics of Chinese science fiction? Or is it more about who writes it? What about the history and setting of science fiction in China itself? And does its special status tell us something about Chinese society's attitudes towards science and technology in general?

In this conversation event, we will explore both the position of China in science fiction and science fiction in China with renowned SF writer and researcher Regina Kanyu Wang (University of Oslo). After a short talk and discussion, there will be time for an open exchange on these topics with her.

Regina Kanyu Wang, born in Shanghai, is one of the most fascinating young voices on the Chinese science fiction scene. She is both a prolific writer of speculative fiction and a scholar who studies and contextualizes Chinese contributions to the genre. As a PhD research fello wat the University of Oslo, she’s working on a project about women writers in Chinese science fiction. She has received numerous Chinese awards for her writing, among them multiple Xingyun Awards, and she was nominated for two Hugo Awards in 2023. Wang has also edited two anthologies of translated Chinese science fiction and fantasy so far. One of them, The Way Spring Arrives and Other Stories, assembles stories entirely from women and non-binary writers.

This event is hosted in cooperation with Lise Meitner Research Group.

The event will take place at Humboldt University Berlin, Institute for Asian and African Studies, Johannisstraße 10, Room 201.