Asia’s leading sci-fi forum to make second landing in Hong Kong

Evidence of a booming China is everywhere: the country is making huge strides in artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual-reality technology, and its space programme is in full flight, with plans this year to land a lunar rover on the far side of the moon and to double the number of flight launches.

In 2011, China established its first space station. That, however, hasn’t quite gone to plan – in 2016, officials admitted control had been lost of the 8.5-tonne module, which is currently heading back to earth. According to the European Space Agency, Tiangong-1 will re-enter the earth’s atmosphere sometime between March 24 and April 19, although scientists have been unable to predict exactly where.

It all sounds like the plot in a sci-fi novel, which is perhaps apt considering that the mainland’s futuristic ambitions are filtering through to the literary scene, with science fiction experiencing a golden age similar to that of the West in the 1950s.

Space geeks keen to hear more about the rise of the genre, and what the future holds, should head along to the Melon: Sci-Fi and Beyond conference, which will be held at the JW Marriott Hotel Hong Kong on March 17.

Returning to the city (the gathering was first held in the SAR last year), Asia’s leading sci-fi event will feature talks by filmmakers, game developers, scientists and investors. Mainland writers on the programme include Beijing-based Chen Qiufan (AKA Stanley Chan), a star among China’s new generation of sci-fi writers, and Bao Shu from Xian.

One of the most anticipated guests will be American author Allen Steele, who is best known for The Death of Captain Future (1995,) ... Where Angels Fear to Tread (1997) and The Emperor of Mars (2010). Steele’s talk, titled “The History of Science Fiction, and Why it Matters”, is a must at Melon. Fellow American Yoon Ha Lee, who shot into the stratosphere with his debut novel, Ninefox Gambit (2016), and Zen Cho, the London-based Malaysian author of Sorcerer to the Crown (2015), will be other highlights.