The Representation of the Anthropocene in Contemporary Chinese Science Fiction

Abstract

Contemporary Chinese science fiction (SF) is preoccupied with the representation of the Anthropocene. Wu Ming-yi’s The Man with the Compound Eyes (2011) and Hui Hu’s The Azure Tragedy (2018) are stand-out examples. In light of the framework of ecocriticism, it is found that both writers challenge long-seated anthropocentric thinking and practices in their catastrophic narration of human-induced plastic pollution in the marine environment, increased extinction of species by human overharvesting, and the human-induced general destruction of nature. Both connect natural disasters to human causes and reflect on human supremacy. The futuristic imaginations enabled by the SF genre effectively unfold the slow violence humanity commits and remains oblivious to. However, the criticism offered by the two authors is compromised to some extent. Hui Hu is optimistic about the new technology in dealing with anthropogenic eco-problems, while this technological triumph appears to sidestep the possibility of finding a more sustainable and once-and-for-all solution. Wu Ming-yi implies a new ethical perspective that rejects human centrality and reestablishes the human-nature relationship. On the other hand, he overlooks intra-human inequality in causing and forcing people to experience the eco-catastrophes. This article contributes to a new understanding of contemporary Chinese Anthropocene SF from an ecocritical perspective.