Editor's note: "Tech Please!" takes a sideways look at all things science and technology in China, revealing trends you won't hear about anywhere else – from cutting-edge developments to the bizarre and whimsical in the world's most exciting tech market. This episode is a special edition for WorldCon.
The home of pandas is now taking an express train to the future! A five-day carnival, the 81st World Science Fiction Convention (WorldCon), is attracting science fiction fans from around the world to the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu.
If you watched my previous episode of "Tech Please!", you'd have found that I made a lot of references to sci-fi classics when talking about new tech, such as Star Wars, Star Trek and E.T. If you love them like I do, WorldCon is something you cannot miss.
I know you want to ask: Why are we talking about literature? Where's the tech?
Well, you can't deny that science fiction is born out of our curiosity about technology and brings us a sense of mystery. Even though technologies permeate our lives, we are still intrigued by the world depicted by sci-fi. In particular, the rapid development of technology in China continues to breed new momentum for such literature.
Robert J. Sawyer, called "the dean of Canadian science fiction" by The Ottawa Citizen, believes that China is undergoing exponential growth in terms of technology, and its government firmly believes that the future of the country is based on the advancement in science and technology.
"That no longer is the American belief," said Sawyer during a panel interview at the event.
If we look back into history, each breakthrough in technology has brought sci-fi works under the spotlight, from the second industrial revolution during the post-World War II period and the first introduction of cloning technology to the maturing of artificial intelligence nowadays.
"The biggest opportunity for science fiction in China lies within the country's own development," said Liu Cixin, one of the guests of honor, also the best-known science fiction writer in the country.
When China can develop further and more rapidly, and make its future more attractive, that's when the country's science fiction will witness a huge surge, he explained.
The sci-fi works would also unleash our imagination for a better, more peaceful and more united world in the future, according to the experts.
"Because in science fiction, Earth is only like dust in the universe, and we all live on the dust as a whole," said Liu. "Science fiction is the kind of literature that most resonates with people in different cultures and countries."
"Science fiction depicts dreams shared by all humanity, and the nightmarish crises they portray are challenges we must face together," he continued. "Hence, it truly serves as a bridge connecting diverse cultures worldwide,"
And the WorldCon, too, brings people of different backgrounds from around the world together under one theme: science fiction. This is where we exchange our visions for the future of the universe.
"We believe in the future," Sawyer said. "We dream of the future."
What about you? How do you envision tomorrow? Leave your comments and let us inspire each other.
Scriptwriter and host: Zhao Chenchen
Copy editors: John Goodrich, Barghab Sarmah
Cameraman: Zheng Hao
Post production: Yang Yiren
3D designer: Pan Yongzhe
Cover image designer: Zhu Shangfan
Producer: Cao Qingqing
Chief editors: Wen Yaru, Wu Gang
Executive producer: Zhang Shilei