From Celestial Empires to Galactic Dreams: A Short History of Science Fiction in China

In recent years, Chinese science fiction has enjoyed tremendous success both domestically and internationally. Notably, authors like Liu Cixin and Hao Jingfang have gained widespread recognition beyond the sci-fi community. This development is remarkable, especially considering that until the late 1990s, the genre — often labeled a “literature of ideas” — was heavily marginalised within the broader Chinese literary landscape.

A key factor driving this newfound popularity is China’s rapid ascent on the world stage and the question of how this geopolitical shift will shape the future. But can science fiction really offer insights here? Does China imagine the future differently? And what exactly do we mean by “Chinese science fiction”? This lecture offers an overview of the genre’s emergence in China, highlighting why a historical perspective is essential to understanding its contemporary significance.