Awakening the force: former journalist aims to unleash China’s sci-fi potential
Science fiction fan Ji Shaoting works with fellow enthusiasts to take local genre global
Chinese sci-fi has made international headlines, with Liu Cixin becoming the first Asian to win the Hugo award for best science fiction or fantasy novel last year, and compatriot Hao Jingfang taking the award for best novella this year. It’s a hugely popular genre in China, boasting tens of millions of readers, but the country’s output in the genre is just fraction of that in the United States, according to Xinhua.
JI SHAOTING, or Xiao Ji as Chinese sci-fi fans know her, founded the Future Affairs Administration, a start-up in Beijing that wants to “administer the future” by being an incubator for sci-fi talent and integrating resources through hosting seminars and connecting writers with scientists.
A former Xinhua reporter, Ji tells JANE LI why the venture excites her.
Why a sci-fi start-up and where did the name come from?
I started reading science fiction when I was nine. It opened a gate to a new world for me and became a lifelong friend. After being a reporter for 10 years, I felt a strong impulse to immerse myself entirely in sci-fi, so I quit my job. I loved being a reporter and this is the only thing that could drag me away from journalism.