Chinese Science Fiction Research Articles

Book review: Fear of Seeing: A Poetics of Chinese Science Fiction by Mingwei Song

Book review: <i>Fear of Seeing: A Poetics of Chinese Science Fiction</i> by Mingwei Song

Filmic Representation of ‘A Community with a Shared Future for Mankind’ in The Wandering Earth Series

Over the past 4 years, The Wandering Earth series has garnered significant acclaim and recognition within the market and film festival circuits. This study examines The Wandering Earth series, including The Wandering Earth and The Wandering Earth II, through the lens of ‘a community with a shared future for mankind’. Utilising qualitative content analysis, it explores the representation of global cooperation in these Chinese science fiction films, transcending conventional Western-centric narratives. The study reveals a unified international community by analysing film narratives, characters and visual symbolism, focusing significantly on China and non-Western countries’ roles in saving humanity. This approach aligns with global governance and post-colonial theories, highlighting the series’ challenge to Western hegemony and its contribution to the discourse on China’s growing cultural industry influence. This research enriches understanding of Chinese cinema’s role in shaping cultural values and international cooperation, emphasising the potential of the science fiction genre to reimagine global dynamics from a non-Western perspective. Its implications extend to enhancing the global understanding of China’s cultural narratives and contribute to the international dialogue on the evolution and influence of Chinese science fiction films.

A preliminary exploration of feminist translation strategies

Abstract Interventionist feminist translation theory prompts translators to identify and rectify sexist notions in source texts. It encourages critical awareness and reinterprets texts through a feminist lens. Based on interventionist feminist translation theory, this research investigates how depictions of women’s physical charm, often unnecessary and rooted in stereotypes, are handled in translations. Focusing on seven instances from Liu Cixin’s The Three-Body Trilogy — a notable Chinese science fiction work debated for its sexism —, the study contrasts the source text with its English and Spanish translations. By analysing the selected fragments of the Chinese novel and the unmissable alterations to the original in the target texts, this paper demonstrates how the techniques of elision and adaptation can help translators iron out the sexist implications. The findings contribute to our understanding of feminist translation strategies for addressing sexist elements in literary works.

Utopian Science Fiction and Ethnic Future Imagination in Chinese Contemporary Science Fiction

Utopian science fiction, as a fusion of science fiction literature and utopian literature, integrates the construction of imagined interactions between people, technology, society, and the environment in future narratives. In doing so, it deepens the aesthetic value and social significance of science fiction literature. Chinese science fiction utopian future narratives use technological imagination to construct three models of expression. First, they re-examine the symbiotic patterns of technology, humanity, and time within the multiple dimensions of human subjectivity. Second, within the transformation of social structures, they reassess the subject and emotions, recognizing that the acceleration of social change has transformed human nostalgia into a series of rehearsals seeking future possibilities in the past. Third, within the dissolution of cultural politics, they reconsider space and the environment, reconstructing planetary existence through a model of deterritorialization. The imagined technological developments constitute the internal logic of Chinese science fiction utopian future narratives, suggesting that the future is an uncertain movement entangled with technology, time, space, and human nature. The confluence of technology, time, and humanity gives rise to people’s expectations and yearnings for eternal life. However, these three modes of narrating the future also lead us to return to Earth as the central theme, highlighting the planetary nature and reflecting on the meaning of existence.

Between Shenguai and Science: The Visual Imagination of Technical Objects in Republican China

Abstract This article first examines the technical objects in three Chinese graphic novels (lianhuanhua) during the Republican era: Scientific Investiture of the Gods (Kexue fengshenbang), Scientific Demon King (Kexue mowang), and Black Bat (Hei bianfu). I regard the visual construction of technical objects in these works as a prehistory of Chinese-styled science fiction films between the 1930s and 1940s. I argue that early Chinese science fiction films share the same resources of traditional shenguai xiaoshuo with these graphic novels in Republican China. Scrutinizing the information about several early Chinese science fiction films, I locate the visual imagination of technical objects in the context of Chinese art history combined with local and imported conventions. I attempt to answer the following questions about the visual construction of technical objects in Republican-era artworks: how does the visual tradition of shenguai xiaoshuo connect to graphic novels and films in Republican China? To what degree could the hybrid modernity of shenguai combined with Hollywood films become a unique legacy for visualizing the technical objects in Chinese science fiction arts?

The Poetics of Journey to the West (2021): Disclosing a Way to Dwell in the World

Abstract Science fiction films and poetry are often assumed to be unrelated or even mutually opposed. Among Chinese science fiction films in recent years, Journey to the West is a uniquely poetic example. It offers a secular challenge to science fiction while simultaneously performing a dual construction of science fiction textually and thematically through poetic expressions – thereby expanding the genre boundaries and localized creation possibilities of science fiction films. This paper uses life-world philosophy to examine the film’s existential theme and analyzes the film’s science fiction poetic expressions through the theoretical perspectives of film poem, poetic thinking, poetry-film, and Chinese poetics, arguing that they illustrate and compensate for the limited meaning of the science fiction genre and scientific rationality itself, while exemplifying the ability of science fiction films to serve as a way of disclosing being-in-the-world.

Ambivalent Utopias: Corporate Biopower and the Gendered Limits of Agency in Reset

Abstract This article examines Reset (逆时营救, 2017), a Chinese science fiction film that diverges from the genre’s typical patriotic themes. Reset offers a compelling case study for exploring technoscience’s impact – as a tool of corporate biopower and neocolonialism – on human corporeality, subjectivity, and female agency. The film’s protagonist, Xia Tian, transforms from a career-focused scientist to time-traveling cyborgs, ultimately reverting to a traditional maternal role. Analyzing this trajectory through Foucault’s biopower, Haraway’s cyborg feminism, and contemporary theories on reproductive futurism and sacrificial motherhood, the study unveils Reset’s function as an allegorical lens. It magnifies the effects of global corporate biopower on human subjectivity, particularly female agency amid apocalyptic upheavals. Xia Tian’s journey illustrates the complexities professional women face in balancing career and family, reflecting broader societal issues and mirroring Chinese cultural imperatives that simultaneously valorize motherhood and women’s workforce participation. Reset performs a double movement: introducing alternative forms of womanhood via cyborg iterations while framing these as incompatible with the envisaged societal future. This paradox highlights the film’s ambiguous stance, critiquing neocolonial capitalism’s manipulation of human bodies while exhibiting a conservative approach to gender roles.

Exploring Chinese Characteristics in Science Fiction Films: A Case Study of 'Wandering Earth'

Chinese science fiction films were first created in the 1930s, but few outstanding works appeared until the beginning of the 21st century. With the appearance of Wandering Earth in the 2019 Spring Festival, Chinese science fiction films entered a new stage of development.This paper, using the 'Wandering Earth' series as a blueprint for research, first summarizes the development of Chinese science fiction films. Secondly, it focuses on analyzing why 'Wandering Earth' can be considered a genuinely Chinese hard science fiction film.Finally, through the analysis of the Wandering Earth series, we will summarise the future creative direction of Chinese sci-fi films and the experience that can be learnt from it, so as to accumulate creative experience for building domestic sci-fi film IP in the future.

Exploring the Development of Soft Science Fiction Films in the Chinese Film Market: Taking Dune 2 as an Example

Following the cessation of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chinese film industry has experienced a resurgence, leading to fresh prospects for the Chinese science fiction film market. On March 8, 2024, the Chinese mainland will host the release of Dune 2, which has garnered significant popularity in the Chinese science fiction cinema market. The goal of this study was to investigate whether the popularity of the Dune series of movies in the Chinese film market persists. The objective of this study was to investigate the potential influence of the Dune series of movies on the Chinese science fiction film industry. This article provided an in-depth examination of the film "Dune 2" as a specific example. This analysis utilized the distinctive attributes of the "Dune 2" film series, as well as the commercial performance and value demonstrated in the Chinese film market. It combined fundamental business theory and cinematic art knowledge to conduct a thorough examination and observation. The study yields three key outcomes: the successful adaptation of movies based on popular intellectual properties, achieved by appropriately innovating the original IP; the advancement in filming technology, which propels the growth of science fiction movies by establishing a dedicated technology park for the film industry; the influence of film music on the coherence of movie narratives, through the creation of music that aligns with the unique style of each film. This study aimed to investigate the attributes of the Chinese science fiction film market and offers recommendations for the advancement of Chinese science fiction films.

A Metaphorical Study of the Chinese Science Fiction Film "Journey to the West"

A Metaphorical Study of the Chinese Science Fiction Film "Journey to the West"

The Representation of the Anthropocene in Contemporary Chinese Science Fiction

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.

A comparative study of emotional narratives in Chinese science fiction: exploring the gender perspective

In recent years, there has been an increasing focus on women’s science fiction in China. A prevailing perception among readers and critics suggests that women’s sensibilities enable them to convey more nuanced emotions in their works. To examine this viewpoint within the realm of contemporary Chinese science fiction, a quantitative approach based on affective computing was employed. This approach allowed for a systematic evaluation of indicators such as emotional arc, emotional richness, and twistiness. The findings reveal that while individual writers may exhibit distinct emotional writing styles, overall, there is no significant disparity in emotional narratives between male and female science fiction writers.

Counter-discourses to social inequalities and urban modernity: Subaltern women in post-2000s Chinese science fiction

ABSTRACT The issues of resurgent class and gender inequalities, rapid urbanization, and huge regional disparity were a notable focus of many post-2000s Chinese science fiction, which vividly created images of subaltern females. This paper looks at how contemporary Chinese sci-fi authors seek social justice by representing the experiences of various subaltern women within the specific genre of science fiction. It argues that the images of socially and culturally marginalized women were used as effective tools for questioning the intersectional social inequalities in contemporary China. The works discussed in this article all problematize the nature and influences of urban modernity by revealing the intersections, tensions, and contradictions between subaltern women and the classed, gendered modernization process. The sci-fi realist portrayal of subaltern agency and gender struggle also helps to generate powerful counter-discourses to urban modernity and technological utopia.

Chinese Science Fiction during the Post-Mao Cultural Thaw

Chinese Science Fiction during the Post-Mao Cultural Thaw

The Dissemination and Acceptance of Chinese Science Fiction Literature in Japan—A Case Study of the Japanese Translation of The Three-Body Problem

Liu Cixin’s “The Three-Body Problem” has received worldwide attention and brought Chinese science fiction into the vision of readers around the world. Among them, the Japanese translated version has been sold well all the way once it was released, becoming a new benchmark of Chinese science fiction literature in Japan. This paper focuses on the case of the dissemination and acceptance of the Three-Body Problem series in Japan, analyzes the reasons for its phenomenal dissemination effect, and explores the replicable and effective path for the dissemination of Chinese science fiction in Japan, with a view to providing references for the overseas dissemination of Chinese literature.

The development of Chinese science-fiction films from the perspective of industrialization

The film industry includes a chain composed of the machinery industry, the production industry and the derivative industry. Its evolution reflects the development of Chinese science fiction (sci-fi) films in the past century. Since the information revolution, marked by computer use, the film industry has undergone changes in digitalization, networking and intelligentization, and Chinese sci-fi films have taken on a new look. Sci-fi films have the duality of being industrial products and spiritual products. Therefore, Chinese sci-fi films have not only evolved with the evolution of the film industry but also highlight the importance of industrialization, reveal the side effects of industrialization and predict new industrial trends through their creativity, thus having rich connotations and value.

The national narrative in Chinese science fiction and the innovative transformation of traditional Chinese culture

The national narrative in Chinese science fiction and the innovative transformation of traditional Chinese culture

Ecological Concerns and Insights in Science Fiction Films — A Case Study of The Wandering Earth

Science fiction films, as an artistic expression highlighting the relationship between future technology and human survival, often utilize grand story settings and fictional futuristic worlds to explore the connection between humanity and the environment. This paper takes the Chinese science fiction film The Wandering Earth as a case study, examining its focus on ecological issues and the presentation of ecological awareness within the narrative. The aim is to use science fiction cinema as a medium to provide audiences with insights into Earth’s ecology, guiding humanity towards profound reflections on environmental issues.

Identity and cultural allegory amidst the Chinese new era: Analyzing narrative strategies of the Chinese science fiction film

Identity and cultural allegory amidst the Chinese new era: Analyzing narrative strategies of the Chinese science fiction film

Exploring feminist translation in Liu Cixin’s The Three-Body Trilogy

ABSTRACT According to the interventionist feminist translation theory, sexist ideas found in source texts should be questioned and corrected. In some materials, signs of sexism are embodied in some unnecessary and inappropriate emphases regarding women’s gender attributes, which are almost related to certain stereotypical images. The present paper aims to explore how these problematic emphases could be treated in a feminist translation praxis applying a contrastive study of the original texts and some solutions provided by translators. To this end, the current work is designed to focus on the study of six specific cases that have been collected from Liu Cixin’s The Three-Body Trilogy, a well-known Chinese science fiction novel that has sparked widespread controversy in terms of sexism. In each case, after studying the questionable original Chinese fragment, I will analyze its translations into English and Spanish to assess whether the sexism found in the source text can be attenuated or avoided after the translation process. This study will shed some light on how translators could deal with sexist emphases from a feminist approach.