In China, sci-fi stops being fiction

Renowned Chinese science fiction writer Liu Cixin is accustomed to suspending his disbelief to appreciate surreal scenes in movies but a new documentary had him reminding himself that everything was real.

"The scenes outside the window of the space station are not special effects, but real. The three people inside are not actors, but Chinese astronauts," he said, after watching an 8K ultra-high-definition documentary 'Shenzhou-13', filmed by the crew of the space ship.

The work impressed Liu deeply. He said the visuals were more fantastical than what sci-fi literature can often bring to mind.

The release of the documentary, a few weeks ago, came a century after 'The Invisible Clothing'  — the first Chinese film to include sci-fi elements — was shot and screened in Shanghai in 1925.

'The Invisible Clothing' was adapted from a story by Xu Zhuodai – "China's Charlie Chaplin". It was essentially a comedy, following a man who dons an invisibility cloak to beat his wife's lover. Xu had added a sci-fi aspect to fulfil a cinematic dream.

"It was a movie with sci-fi elements," said Shi Chuan, a professor at the Shanghai Theatre Academy, adding that the technology, filmmaking skills and audience expectations at the time were far from what they are today.

Shi noted that the late 1920s saw a burst of experimentation in Chinese cinema, producing numerous "bizarre" films reflecting the imagination of the era, though most reels did not survive.

'Death Ray on Coral Island', released in 1980, is widely considered to have been China's first true sci-fi film, showcasing lasers, robots and other futuristic equipment. But following its release, sci-fi fell into a long period of obscurity.

The 1990s brought a change, as China began importing Hollywood blockbusters. Films like 'Star Wars' captivated audiences and inspired a new generation of Chinese writers.

In 2015, Liu Cixin won the Hugo Award for his sci-fi trilogy, 'The Three-Body Problem', marking a breakthrough that helped propel Chinese sci-fi onto the global stage.

Four years later, 'The Wandering Earth' was adapted from another of Liu's works and released in theatres, cementing a new era for Chinese sci-fi film. The blockbuster, which was released during the Spring Festival holiday, raked in 4.6 billion yuans ($ 647 million).

On Sept 20, on the sidelines of the Xingyun (Nebula) Awards for Chinese Science Fiction, a special event marked 100 years of Chinese sci-fi film.

Huang Mingfen, a professor at Xiamen University, said that Chinese sci-fi has undergone three phases of transformation: scientific enlightenment, industrial storytelling and cosmic philosophy.

NO LONGER A DREAM

China's sci-fi boom has coincided with real advances in technology and manufacturing. Devices resembling the exoskeleton "mechs" seen in 'The Wandering Earth 2' are already available to consumers and used in industrial settings.

On Wuyi Mountain in Fujian Province, tourists can rent exoskeleton devices to climb steep cliffs with minimal effort, with a price of 98 yuan for three hours.

The company behind the devices, ULS Robotics, has developed multiple models — from lightweight consumer versions to heavy-duty industrial and upper-limb exoskeletons that are used in the aviation, mining and energy sectors.

Xu Zhenhua, founder of ULS Robotics, is also a fan of science fiction. "We provided props for the movie," he told Xinhua, while speaking about the 'The Wandering Earth 2'.

Invisibility, nothing but a fantasy when 'The Invisible Clothing' was released, has edged into reality as well. Researchers have developed metamaterial-based cloaks that bend microwaves and visible light.

In 2023, Wuhan Textile University displayed camouflage uniforms capable of evading infrared detection. The fantasy has also advanced into the field of defence.

During China's massive victory-day military parade on Sept 3, five types of stealth fighter jets, including the J-35A and J-20 models, flew in formation over Tian'anmen Square, underscoring China's growing stealth capabilities.

Innovation, a consistent priority in both the country's 13th and 14th Five-Year Plans between 2016 and 2025, is now bearing tangible fruits: China ranks 11th in the Global Innovation Index, leads the world in invention patent applications, and has achieved breakthroughs in basic research and high-tech manufacturing.

"To some extent, the progress of Chinese sci-fi film both reflects and inspires the development level of China's film industry, and even the entire manufacturing sector," according to Shi.

More than a century ago, Qing Dynasty novelist Huangjiang Diaosou penned an unfinished novel about human migration to the moon. Today, Chinese sci-fi films like 'The Wandering Earth 2' also feature epic narratives involving similar setting, blending technological imagination with cultural vision.

Guo Fan, the director, once explained jokingly why the Chinese would escape along with the Earth in the face of crisis: "because we have houses here." It implies a certain unique emotion that the Chinese people have towards their homeland.

Over the past decade, China's reforms and innovations in the field of culture have boosted the prosperity of the domestic cultural industry and enhanced the global influence of Chinese culture.

According to a report released by the China Science Fiction Research Center in March, the total revenue of China's sci-fi industry in 2024 amounted to 108.96 billion yuan ($15.31 billion). Sci-fi is no longer a niche subject or genre.

"Science fiction, as a universal language, is not only helping China understand the world, but also helping us tell Chinese stories to global audiences," said sci-fi writer Chen Qiufan. "We can tell sci-fi stories with a Chinese heart from a global perspective."

Sci-fi writer Han Song believes the next era of sci-fi will move far beyond Earth. "As China ventures into deep space and the deep sea, our sci-fi cinema will aim for the far side of the moon—and even into the darkness of dark matter," he said.