The mascot "Kemeng" of the 81st World Science Fiction Convention, Chengdu City, southwest China's Sichuan Province, October 18, 2023. /CFP
Big names and fans from the global science fiction community are gathering in southwest China's Chengdu City for this year's World Science Fiction Convention (WorldCon), which is taking place from October 18 to 22.
The decision to hold the 81st WorldCon in Chengdu was made at the 79th convention in Washington D.C. in 2021. Chengdu, as a bidding city, won the hosting competition after science fiction fans from around the world cast their votes.
As the most anticipated, longest-running and largest sci-fi event, this is the first Worldcon held in China, making Chengdu the second city in Asia after Japan's Yokohama hosting the convention in 2007.
A view over the roof of the Chengdu Science Museum, main venue for the 81st World Science Fiction Convention, Chengdu City, southwest China's Sichuan Province, October 16, 2023. /CFP
Chengdu and sci-fi
In 1991, Chinese science fiction connected with the world spotlight for the first time, when the annual conference of the World Science Fiction Society was held in Chengdu.
The city is home to the magazine Science Fiction World, which has a bigger circulation than any other sci-fi publication in the world, launching the careers of the country's most renowned authors, including Hugo Award winner Liu Cixin.
Before winning the Hugo Award in 2015 with "The Three-Body Problem," Liu had won China's Galaxy Award eight times. The Galaxy Award is China's highest and oldest sci-fi accolade and was founded by the Science Fiction World magazine in Chengdu.
In an interview at this year's convention, Liu said that choosing Chengdu as the host city for WorldCon was a "natural thing."
Ben Yalow, co-chairman of the 2023 Chengdu WorldCon, echoed Liu's words, citing the popular Chinese idiom "where water flows, a channel will form" to explain why WorldCon has come to Chengdu.
Science fiction elements are seen at the 81st World Science Fiction Convention, Chengdu City, southwest China's Sichuan Province, October 18, 2023. /CFP
Sci-fi and beyond
As an emerging industry in China, science fiction has already expanded beyond the bounds of literature. It has taken on a much broader scope, driving the growth of correlated industries, including film and television.
According to the China Science Fiction Research Center, the output value of China's science fiction industry, including publications, films and others, totaled 87.75 billion yuan (about $12 billion) in 2022.
China has produced a series of science fiction films, such as "The Wandering Earth," that have earned billions of yuan at the box office. China is also believed to have the world's largest number of science fiction aficionados.
Leveraging its sci-fi advantages, Chengdu has quickened the pace in boosting related industries.
Over 800 special-effects shots in "The Wandering Earth" were produced in Chengdu. Meanwhile, the creative team behind the animation movie "Ne Zha," which raked in over 4.9 billion yuan at the box office, grew up in the nurturing atmosphere of Chengdu's sci-fi circles.
Space suits used in "The Wandering Earth" show at exhibition of the 81st World Science Fiction Convention, Chengdu City, southwest China's Sichuan Province, October 18, 2023. /CFP
La Zi, editor-in-chief of Science Fiction World magazine, said that Chengdu has accumulated the best sci-fi intellectual property in China over 40 years, meaning that Chengdu's science fiction industry has ushered in a rare historic opportunity.
"Sci-fi fans, who have grown up under the influence of Science Fiction World for decades, are the new force in boosting the future development of the sci-fi industry," he added.
The city has put into motion over 40 projects combining sci-fi with film production, games and tourism. Preparations for a conference to promote the sci-fi industry are also underway, with 12 major projects to be signed, attracting an estimated total investment of up to 8 billion yuan.
Venue of the 81st World Science Fiction Convention, Chengdu City, southwest China's Sichuan Province, October 18, 2023. /CFP
These achievements are also due to the policies made by the government. As early as 2017, the city announced that it would build a "science fiction city" and introduced a number of measures to achieve this.
Starting from 2017, the city held its own sci-fi event, the China (Chengdu) International Science Fiction Conference, every two years.
Science fiction, which is based on the fantasy of science, is closely related to science and technology. A city of science fiction should have core technical competences and a solid industrial base as the foundation.
An aerial photo of the Chengdu City, southwest China's Sichuan Province. /Chengdu New Economic Development Commission
Chengdu has continuously optimized its innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem, and has created 139 national-level innovation platforms, including laboratories and technology innovation centers in recent years.
A total of over 1,100 high-tech enterprises were set up in the city last year, a year on year increase of 44 percent, with an average of 10 new high-tech enterprises founded every day, setting a record high, according to the Ecns.cn.
(With input from Xinhua)