Science fiction was the theme during this year's Spring Festival movie screenings. Riding on the success of blockbuster "The Wandering Earth", Director Ning Hao's latest offering, "Crazy Alien", is also getting rave reviews. Both films are adapted from short stories by Hugo Award-winning author Liu Cixin. Here's what he has to say about the latest adaptation!

"Crazy Alien" has to date taken 2.2 billion yuan, or 328 million US dollars, at the box office. The film is a very loose adaptation of science fiction writer Liu Cixin's, "Rural Teacher." In the original short story, four village school students survive Earth's destruction by aliens, thanks to what they learn from their teacher. But there's no village, students or teacher in Ning Hao's film. Instead, two frustrated urban youngsters play tricks on an alien and a group of FBI detectives.

NING HAO, DIRECTOR 'CRAZY ALIEN' "I spent a lot of time establishing the link between my film and Liu Cixin's book. Liu is a great author and I have my style. There's abundant imagination, romanticism and absurdity in his works. In 'Rural Teacher', aliens representing the most advanced civilization in the entire universe, encounter a group of rural people. That's the key absurd and dramatic element. That's what inspired me."

It's taken Ning Hao nearly ten years to complete his "Crazy" trilogy, from "Crazy Stone" and "Crazy Racer", to "Crazy Alien". Extravagant acting and dramatic storylines are the hallmark of his films. In an effort to shorten the distance between imagination and reality, his first attempt at science fiction doesn't begin in outer space, but in a city centre.

NING HAO, DIRECTOR 'CRAZY ALIEN' "The secret to human beings' survival for thousands of years, has been tenacity. But we must be clever as well. In our efforts to survive, when friends visit, we offer them good wine. When enemies come, we get them drunk."

In November 2014, Ning Hao was among a group of young Chinese directors who visited Hollywood, under a China-US filmmakers exchange programme. He was impressed by the leading film studios and production companies he saw.

NING HAO, DIRECTOR 'CRAZY ALIEN' "I was very surprised by director Michael Bay's company, which has only nine people who produce one or two films a year. They have access to all of Hollywood's resources, and each person is highly professional and efficient."

He also noted that Hollywood movies are more like industrial productions. Although he's keen to embrace some of what he saw in Hollywood, there are some principles he will not abandon.

Ning Hao insists that his films must be rooted in the life of ordinary people, and must be accessible. In "Crazy Alien", there's even a scene of an alien eating hot pot. It's a sci-fi comedy set against a backdrop of everyday life in China. Ning says that, although he embraces novel elements in his work, what makes his movies unique is that they are totally Chinese stories. As such, they will never be like anything made in Hollywood.

NING HAO, DIRECTOR 'CRAZY ALIEN' "I believe that as Chinese film-makers, we should adhere to our own culture. We should definitely study Hollywood's advanced technologies and movie-making experience, and close the gap in that respect. But we should still promote our own culture and make our voice heard and approachable."

Ning Hao says the Chinese film industry still has a long way to go, if it's to catch up with Hollywood in terms of technology and equipment. But far more important, is that it tells good Chinese stories. YR,CGTN.