TAIYUAN, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) — Beijing-based editor Bi Yumin traveled 400 km by prepare to a mountainous small metropolis, solely to fulfill her idol Liu Cixin.
In per week’s keep in Yangquan, north China’s Shanxi Province, she went to the newly-built Liu Cixin Studio within the downtown space, visited the Niangziguan Power Plant the place Liu used to work as an engineer, and paid a go to to a gymnasium within the early morning, hoping to make an encounter with him.
“I heard from locals that Liu had a habit of running here in the morning, so I tried my luck here,” Bi stated with a smile.
Yangquan, an previous industrial base within the Taihang Mountains, was little recognized to the surface world till Liu from the small metropolis received the Hugo Award for his sci-fi saga the “Three-Body” trilogy.
Now, the Niangziguan Power Plant, which has been shut down in a transfer to chop emissions, has develop into “a resort” for sci-fi followers.
The plant’s outer wall, stretching about 1,000 meters, is painted with the beautiful scenes of “Three-Body” and “The Wandering Earth,” one other novel written by Liu that was tailored into motion pictures. Residents and vacationers passing by would decelerate their vehicles or pause to have a look at these imaginative wall work.
“The sci-fi elements that Liu brings here have revived this power plant in another way,” stated Shuai Xuefeng, a former plant employee who nonetheless lives within the dormitory of the ability plant.
Since 1999, when Liu began his creation, he has printed seven novels and a few 40 brief tales, along with his works translated into dozens of languages, together with English, French, Spanish, German, Japanese and Korean.
Luo Xiangdong, an govt of the provincial writers’ affiliation, stated Liu had constructed an enormous universe along with his works, and the film and TV drama variations of his works have, to a big extent, ignited the sci-fi craze amongst younger individuals and promoted the event of Chinese sci-fi motion pictures and TV dramas.
In a cultural park within the city space of Yangquan, a sci-fi cultural week was held final month, the place many specialists and students, together with Liu, gathered to debate the current and way forward for science fiction literature.
The occasion additionally included sci-fi literature and positive arts contests, drawing contestants from throughout China to ship their works. Many of the contestants are youths.
Kou Miaoqi, the primary prize winner of the sci-fi literature competitors, stated that she has all the time beloved writing, however that is the primary time that she has written a sci-fi work — a 15,000-character piece known as “A Guide to Facing the Sea.”
“The contest has given me much confidence, and I hope I can make some achievement in the field of science fiction in the future,” stated the 34-year-old.
“Science fiction has the power that enables readers, especially young readers, to have a strong interest in nature, the universe and the relationships among man, nature and the universe, igniting their passion for exploring a new world,” Liu Cixin instructed Xinhua.