The China Science Writers Association's (CSWA) Science Fiction Creation and Research Base held its seventh annual meeting and academic forum in Beijing on April 27, bringing together prominent writers and professionals looking to boost China's sci-fi industry.

Participants at the annual conference and academic forum of the China Science Writers Association's Science Fiction Creation and Research Base pose for a group photo during the China Science Fiction Convention in Beijing, April 27, 2024. [Photo courtesy of Beijing Yuanyu Science Fiction and Future Technology Research Institute]

The annual conference and the Academic Forum of Science Fiction Works were held as part of the China Science Fiction Convention 2024. The event saw participation from over 70 experts, writers, editors, entrepreneurs, and professionals from the sci-fi sector and associated industries, including acclaimed writers Liu Cixin and Wang Jinkang, Spanish sinologist Agustín Alepuz Morales, and Japanese novelist and translator Tachihara Tōya.

Several new books were launched at the event, with the most notable being "The Mountain, the Pine, and the Moon," a three-volume collection featuring stories by 56 Chinese sci-fi writers envisioning their hometowns through the lens of science fiction and fantasy. Later that day, a book signing event drew hundreds of enthusiastic fans eager to meet and get autographs from eight writers, including industry luminaries Liu Cixin, Wang Jinkang, and Dong Renwei.

During the meeting, Wang Weiying, the base's executive deputy director and secretary-general, summarized the base's achievements in 2023 and outlined the work plan for the upcoming year. She discussed their focus on sci-fi book publishing, research and academic exchanges, industrial transformation, and education and talent development within the sci-fi field. Wang also emphasized the commitment to continuing efforts in publishing, research, industrial innovation, talent development, and promotional exchanges throughout the year, outlining the next steps in these areas.

During the meeting, a plaque unveiling ceremony was held to inaugurate the newly established writer's studios of Xiao Xinghan and Bao Shu. With these additions, the sci-fi base has so far established studios for 16 writers.

In his keynote speech during the academic forum, Liu Cixin, the world-renowned Chinese sci-fi writer and president of the Beijing Yuanyu Science Fiction and Future Technology Research Institute, highlighted the significant progress in various areas made by the science fiction base last year, after being founded in December 2016, and expressed his hope that in the future, there would be a focus on strengthening talent, expanding the sci-fi sector, creating more outstanding sci-fi works, and igniting society-wide enthusiasm for sci-fi culture.

A display of new books, including "The Mountain, the Pine, and the Moon: 56 Chinese Science Fiction Writers' Fantasies of Their Hometowns," is seen at the annual conference of the China Science Writers Association's Science Fiction Creation and Research Base and the Academic Forum of Science Fiction Works during the China Science Fiction Convention in Beijing, April 27, 2024. [Photo/China.org.cn]

Qiu Huadong, vice chairman of the China Writers Association, pointed out that sci-fi literature is an important way to envision the future. "The development of Chinese science fiction relies on urban development and the progress of Chinese modernization. On this basis, generations of new sci-fi writers are emerging. The development of Chinese sci-fi literature is timely, and the China Writers Association will continue to support both sci-fi literature and the sci-fi industry," he said.

Wang Ting, vice chairman of the CSWA and director of the Chinese Research Institute for Science Popularization, mentioned that the nation's great attention to the sci-fi industry has created a favorable environment for its development. He pledged that the CSWA will support the growth of the sci-fi industry, expressing hope that the sci-fi base can gather talent from around the world, play a leading role, and inject new momentum into advancing China's high-level technological self-reliance and high-quality development.