Sinopticon: Japanese edition
I never thought my literary curations would reach beyond the Anglosphere and into other regions of the world. It was a pleasant surprise to be contacted by Hayakawa Publishing in Japan who told me they wanted to publish an edition of my own-originated anthology, Sinopticon: A Celebration of Science Fiction.
Posted in Books and tagged anthology, books, japanese, literature, science fiction, sinopticon
Bringing Light to Chinese Culture and Science Fiction
A very interesting discussion with author Jane McConnell of Imaginize World about science fiction and the future, the key points of discussion. Author and curator of literature and cultureThe origins and purpose of “Sinopticon: A Celebration of Chinese Science Fiction”The role of science fiction in exploring societal issues and the future and the pastThe interplay between technology progress and preserving humanity and human connectionThe meaning in The Return of AdamPeople in China are looking to the past to see who we were in order to inform the futureOlder Chinese Sci-fi writers Wang Jinkang and Han SongThe depth and themes in Chinese science fiction, including the influence of historical events like the Cultural RevolutionThe importance of storytelling and reading in shaping the futureEthical dilemmas around technology, privacy, inequality, and AIMisconceptions about the futureHow the future may develop
Posted in Events and tagged AI, author, future, podcast, science fiction, social issues, society, technology
Her Story: Second Skin
A novelette by Dan Shi, a new voice in female Chinese science fiction and one that is boldly outspoken about feminism and gender debates. I was asked to translate this piece by the editors, and after reading it, I felt it was important to do so, especially when the story was so well written. A bold exploration of technology, the female body and autonomy. You can read it here.
Posted in Curated & Translated and tagged autonomy, Chinese, female body, feminism, genre, literature, novelette, science fiction, Scifi, SFF
Heavy Industry: The Donkey Restaurant of Tiexi
Even though I consider myself culturally Cantonese, my maternal grandmother was from Jilin and I’ve grown up aware that this region of China, as remote in the northeast, as Guangdong is remote in the southeast, is part of my heritage. So I was delighted to translate this story, which I really like in itself. Part of the fantastic literary output that is the Dongbei renaissance, translating it has felt like working on a Jia Zhangke film told in science fiction writing.
Posted in Curated & Translated and tagged Chinese, dongbei, hadron collider, heavy industry, literature, northeast China, particle technology, science fiction, translation
Wandering Earth 2 and the New Global Order
It was a pleasure being on a panel hosted by L.S.E. with fellow authors and scholars to discuss recent Chinese sci-fi blockbuster, The Wandering Earth II (Frant Gwo) Cinema plays a major role in furthering cultural understanding, and there is definitely more to both Chinese science fiction and this movie than some have considered them, as mere “tools for soft power”. We each spoke a little on the work before entering the discussion, here is the short talk I presented. Like Wandering Earth 1, this second film also depicts a geopolitical landscape that places China at the top of global political power. This is shown through the made-in-China technology that operates the Wandering Earth Project, the diplomatic influence the country exerts over international disagreements, and the decision making that affects the fate of the entire planet. I saw this film for the first time at the cinema in London, when it came out last year. Whilst I had also watched and written about the first film around its release, this was the one that made me to want to read Liu Cixin’s short story and see how its original creator envisioned an epic tale that involves a fundamental alteration to humanity’s existence. The world presented in the original short story is one of international co-operation. It quietly happens because it is taken as a given. In this global order, China holds as much of a stake as others in the running of this earth-moving operation, which I find far more interesting, Continue Reading →
Posted in Events and tagged blockbuster, china, Chinese, cinema, culture, film, Liu Cixin, movie, panel, science fiction, Scifi, society, The Wandering Earth 2
Half the Universe: More On Chinese Women SF Writers
A couple of years ago, I wrote an article highlighting some of China’s female science fiction writers . It is a well-known fact that women in the SF community have been heavily overlooked in China, where a hard-science-heavy tradition took root in the genre’s first ‘golden age’ of the 1950s, which in itself was a continuation of a nation-building role for sci-fi that could be traced all the way back to the beginning of the century. Although women have been active contributors to the genre since at least the 1970s, with writers such as Zhang Jing and Ji Wei, their inclination, or perceived inclination to write ‘soft science fiction’, meant they have not been as visible as male writers in previous eras. In the twenty-first century however, kēhuàn (Hanyu for sci-fi) has diversified as a genre, branching off into more character driven fiction, which integrates science with story, shifting away from works that centrally focused on science theory or concepts.
Posted in Articles and tagged china, Chinese, culture, equality, feminism, fiction, literature, science fiction, SF, SFF, women's writing
The Global Reach of Chinese Science Fiction in the Digital Era
I had the pleasure of being invited, along with three other wonderful guests, to be part of the Chinese Science Fiction in The Digital Age series of talks and forums held by the Hong Kong Metropolitan University. It was well received, with many enthusiastic questions from the students. And I have translated my short talk into English for Anglophone readers who are interested in the topic.
Posted in Events and tagged china, Chinese, digital, digital age, fiction, global, panel, publishing, Sci-Fi, science fiction, SF, talk
Ni Kuang: An Orbituary
On July the 3rd 2022, renowned writer Ni Kuang, passed away, aged 87. He was one of the most popular modern classic Sinophone writers.
Posted in Articles, Events and tagged books, Chinese, culture, fiction, Ni Kuang, novel, orbituary, science fiction, Sinophone, Wisely, writer, writing, Wuxia
The Pandemic and SFF: Thoughts on the Eastercon21 Panel
Despite Covid restrictions, I returned this year to convention life, at least virtually, as a guest at EasterCon, and in an event driven to digital by a global pandemic, it couldn’t have been more appropriate to talk about how all this has affected science fiction and fantasy works. The hour-long panel featured myself, along with the editor and authors of New Con Press. There was a lot to talk about in the one-hour slot, and with so many of us having lived near hermit like existences for the last few months, personal take-aways from lockdown becoming a central topic for some of the more loquacious guests, and there were so many points that were left unexplored.
Posted in Events and tagged china, Chinese, culture, fiction, literature, outbreak, pandemic, science fiction, SF in Translation, SFF, society, translated, virus