China's sci-fi conference opens in tech hub Shenzhen

Liu Cixin (2nd R) and other distinguished guests attend the establishment ceremony of an association dedicated to promoting China's sci-fi industry in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, Nov. 23, 2018. The three-day China Science Fiction Conference gathered writers, scientists, movie makers and fans across China to discuss the country's rising enthusiasm for sci-fi and its links with China's ongoing tech boom. Its opening also witnessed the establishment of an association to boost college sci-fi activities. [Photo by Mao Siqian/Xinhua]

The third China Science Fiction Conference on Friday kicked-off in Shenzhen, a southern Chinese city known for its many tech companies.

The three-day event gathered writers, scientists, movie makers and fans across China to discuss the country's rising enthusiasm for sci-fi and its links with China's ongoing tech boom.

"Science laid the groundwork for sci-fi, while sci-fi gives wings to science," said Chen Gang, executive secretary of the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST).

"China's pursuit of technological strength hinges on the creativity of the general public," he said at the opening ceremony of the conference.

China's sci-fi sector was fast growing and prospering in various categories from novels, movies, micro-videos to games. A number of locally made sci-fi movies will soon hit the screens and the pace of going abroad is accelerating, he said.

China's science fiction has attracted much limelight in recent years, especially after Liu Cixin's sci-fi epic, "The Three-Body Problem," scooped the 2015 Hugo Award, sci-fi's top prize. Another of his work "The Wandering Earth" has been adapted into movie, scheduled to hit Chinese screens early next year.

The conference is organized by CAST, with co-organizers including China's tech giant Tencent. The event features a number of forums, including on female sci-fi writers, cyberpunk in China and movie adaptations of Chinese sci-fi novels.

Its opening also witnessed the establishment of an association dedicated to promoting China's sci-fi industry, and another association to boost college sci-fi activities.