2019-11-05
The 2019 China Science Fiction Convention opened in Beijing on November 3, 2019 with a theme of "Science Fiction for Creation, Fantastic Imagination for Future”.
The 2019 China Science Fiction Convention opened in Beijing on November 3, 2019.
The two-day event was sponsored by the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST) and the People’s Government of Beijing Municipality, with guidance from the State Film Administration and support from the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the China Writers Association and the China Film Association.
Over 1,000 people took part in the opening ceremony, including nearly 30 scientists, science fiction and science communication writers and representatives of international science fiction organizations from nine North American, European and Asian countries as well as representatives of government agencies, local associations for science and technology, science and technology workers, the sci-fi industry, the film industry and science fiction fans.
President Xi Jinping attaches great importance to science communication, saying “Science and technology innovation and science communication contribute to innovative development side by side, like both wings of a bird, so science communication should be in the same position as science and technology innovation,” noted Huai Jinpeng, executive vice president of CAST, when speaking at the opening ceremony.
In terms of science communication, science fiction, which is a dream about future, can help form the base of science and bridge general public with scientific spirit, can best convey the beauty of science, culture and humanity, and plays a unique role in stimulating imagination and creativity in young people, said Huai.
To vigorously develop science fiction is also of great importance in enhancing science literacy, fostering an innovative spirit and developing scientific methods among the general public, Huai remarked.
“We need to constantly strengthen science communication and intensify the development of the science fiction cause and industry to support social and economic development, to constantly increase confidence in the Chinese culture and to shape our future; We should constantly improve the policy and system for science fiction cause and industry to create a favorable ecology; We should constantly cultivate science fiction talents to back up future development, encourage the establishment of cross-discipline academic organizations, set up and improve incentive mechanisms, deepen international cooperation and exchanges, and build open platforms for science fiction to fully act as a bridge for inter-civilization mutual learning.”
Yan Jingming, vice president of the China Writers Association, described science fiction literature as a bridge connecting science with culture, nature and society in his speech on the same occasion.
“Rooted in technological innovation and with a purpose to benefit the general public, science fiction literature is an important part of the science and technology cause and the cultural cause in the new era,” said Yan, urging Chinese science fiction writers to present more works that are thoughtful and have both scientific and artistic values.
Also at the opening ceremony, Huai and Yan launched a platform for integrating science with film and TV production, together with mayor of Beijing Chen Jining, the State Film Administration deputy head Bai Jie, the China Science Writers Association (CSWA) chairman Zhou Zhonghe and famous film director Huang Jianxin.
The opening ceremony also featured a report by Wu Yan, professor of the Southern University of Science and Technology and vice chairman of the CSWA on the development of China’s science fiction industry 2019.
Another highlight of the opening ceremony is a high-level dialogue on whether China has entered a golden era for science fiction among Zhou Zhonghe, winner of Nobel Prize in Physics Andre Geim, one of the world’s top-selling science fiction writer Kevin J Anderson, California Institute of Technology professor and science communication writer Leonard Mlodinow, famous science fiction writer Liu Cixin and Bona Film Group vice general manger and production director Ji Xiaojiang.
Meng Qinghai, vice president of CAST, presided over the opening ceremony.
The 2019 convention also included 11 thematic forums, focusing on such topics as the historical experiences and future dreams of modern human civilization; science, technology and the future; science, film and TV integration, the path of Chinese science fiction films, science fiction in games, science communication among youths and science fiction creation.
Besides, a session to bridge outstanding science fiction directors and projects with potential investors, the final round of a science fiction debate among college students, Science Fiction Night, science fiction speeches, a science fiction knowledge contest among college students, an exhibition of the winning works of a creative science fiction games contest, a “parallel universes” science fiction exhibition and a science fiction market fair were also held during the convention.
Since 2016, the China Science Fiction Convention has been successfully held three times and widely welcomed by the science fiction industry and science fiction fans. With growing influence and participation, it has contributed significantly to the development of the Chinese science fiction cause and industry.