The seventh edition of the EU-China International Literary Festival invites leading female novelists, short story writers, poets, non-fiction writers screenwriters, and playwrights from the 12 EU Member States and from several provices across China to discuss their work, their creative ideas and the world that inspires them.
01 Visions for our Future:
What if we Just Save the World?
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Speakers: Frank Schätzing (Germany), Chen Qiufan (China)
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Time: Friday, September 9. 7pm Beijing Time
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Today we are joined by two legendary writers who manage to blend highly inventive storytelling with in-depth environmental awareness and astute scientific forecasting. Frank Schätzing’s suspense-packed ecological thriller The Swarm was a global publishing phenomenon, while his latest title What if we Just Save the World? sees him also top non-fiction best-seller lists once again. Chen Qiufan’s (aka Stanley Chen) multi-award-winning titles include the eco-techno-thriller Waste Tide, and AI 2041: Ten Visions for Our Future, where he joins forces with co-author and AI expert Kai-fu Lee to answer an imperative question: How will artificial intelligence change our world within twenty years? Frank Schätzing and Chen Qiufan will be joined in conversation by literary translator and editor Li Shuangzhi.
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02
World-Building and Imagination-Shaping in Science Fiction and Fantasy
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Speakers: Francesco Verso (Italy), Hao Jiangfang (China)
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Time: Sunday, September 11. 7pm
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With science and technology developing at breakneck speed, how can leading creators of science fiction and fantasy continue to build plausible futuristic worlds for readers to revel in? How much science and how much fiction should there be in science fiction? What role does science fiction play in shaping our imagination and stoking our collective consciousness? And to make it truly global, how can writers working in marginalised languages be brought more into the mainstream conversation? To discuss these questions and more are Francesco Verso, Italian science fiction editor, publisher and writer of several celebrated books, including Nexhuman and Bloodbusters; and Hao Jingfang, research fellow and acclaimed author, including for the Hugo Award-winning Folding Beijing. Francesco Verso and Hao Jingfang will be in discussion with scholar, translator and science-fiction expert Zhang Fan.
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03
Human Nature, Fantasy, Social Reality and the Supernatural
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Speakers: Thomas Olde Heuvelt (The Netherlands), He Xi (China)
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Time: Tuesday, September 13. 7pm Beijing Time
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Joining today are two leading literary lights, both known for their spell-binding and captivating writing, to discuss their books and the craft behind them. Dutch novelist Thomas Olde Heuvelt is the author of five novels and many short stories of the fantastic, with fans of his terrifying and unputdownable HEX including the legendary writers Stephen King and George R.R. Martin. He Xi has won the Galaxy Award no fewer than 17 times and the Chinese Nebula Award multiple times. His works focus on the discussion of the future of macro science and the good and evil of human nature, closely integrating science fantasy with social reality. Thomas Olde Heuvelt and He Xi, in conversation with editor, publisher and deputy secretary general of the World Science Fiction Association Yang Feng, will discuss their writing lives and the different approaches they take in the process of creating riveting creative work.
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04 MasterClass:
Fictional Non-Fiction and Exposition in Science Fiction
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Speakers: Xia Jia (China)
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Time: Wednesday, September 14. 7pm Beijing Time
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In this MasterClass Xia Jia will present ideas on crafting fictional non-fiction and handling exposition in science fiction. Touching on concepts including “novum”, “info dump” and “show, don’t tell”, she will examine how writers of science fiction can seamlessly weave exposition and non-fiction into highly engaging narratives. Xia Jia is a science fiction writer, academic, literary translator, screenwriter, editor and creative writing lecturer. Seven of her stories have won the Galaxy Award to date, and her first English collection A Summer Beyond Your Reach: Stories was published in 2021.
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05 Literary Adventures:
Engaging with the Non-Human
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Speakers: Vladimir Poleganov (Bulgaria), Tian Rui Shuo Fu (China)
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Time: Thursday, September 15. 7pm Beijing Time
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In this discussion two acclaimed writers will discuss how they approach new literary projects, erect the scaffolding as they build new worlds, and how they write the non-human – aliens, animals, AI, etc – in an engaging and plausible manner. Tian Rui Shuo Fu is a prolific science fiction writer who initially built up a large fan base publishing on web platforms, including Death on Mars and We Live in Nanjing which both garnered multiple accolades. Vladimir Poleganov is a Bulgarian writer, translator, and screenwriter. His novel The Other Dream won the Helikon Award. They will be in conversation with academic and science-fiction expert Jiang Zhenyu.
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06 MasterClass:
Surviving as the Last Human
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Speakers: Tang Fei (China)
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Time: Friday, September 16. 7pm Beijing Time
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Tang Fei will present an apocalyptic survival scenario in this MasterClass that is designed to stimulate the flow of creative juices. In this thought experiment, there are nine surviving humans in a bunker and with dwindling supplies each day they have to vote on who lives or dies, depending on how useful their profession is considered to be, as well as on their charisma and argumentative skills. As a creative exercise, the doomsday scenario presents a means of defamiliarization and plunges the observer into an intense landscape where a host of alternative narratives can pop up. Tang Fei is a Chinese author of speculative fiction who has won several literary awards, including the Shanghai Literature Award, Chinese Readers’ Choice Awards (Gravity Awards),and silver medal of the Speculative Fiction in Translation: Most Popular Short Story. She is involved in different art forms such as literary criticism, poetry, installation and photography.
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07
The Relationship Between Science and Science Fiction
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Speakers: Julie Nováková (Czech Republic), Xia Jia (China)
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Time: Saturday, September 17. 7pm Beijing Time
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How should we define the complex and ever-evolving relationship between science and science fiction? Should science fiction play an enhanced role in helping promote scientific understanding and inspiring young people to pursue STEM careers? To discuss these questions, and their own award-winning science fiction, we are joined by Julie Nováková – an evolutionary biologist by study, active in science outreach, acclaimed author, editor and translator of speculative fiction from the Czech Republic; and from Xi’an in China, Xia Jia, a professor of literature, editor and seven-time winner of the Galaxy Award for her speculative fiction. They will be joined in conversation by Regina Kanyu Wang, a bilingual award-winning writer and editor from Shanghai and PhD fellow at the University of Oslo.
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08 Why we Write
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Speakers: Munir Hachemi (Spain), Wang Weilian (China)
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Time: Sunday, September 18. 7pm Beijing Time
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Two lauded writers will discuss what prompted them to take up the pen to start to write, and how they engage with the creative process to bring their best work out on the page. They will also consider how literature reflects our complex reality, and how literarture’s very form might evolve into the future. Munir Hachemi, from Madrid in Spain, first published stories in fanzines and sold his writing directly in bars and cafes before he was discovered and signed a publishing deal. After the publication of his acclaimed novel Cosas vivas he was named by Granta magazine as one of the most promising young Spanish-language writers in the world. He is currently a literary professor at Peking University. Wang Weilian has published the novel The Rescued, and several short story collections, for which he has won many literary awards for his unique and distinctive style. Munir Hachemi and Wang Weilian will join scholar, translator and science-fiction expert Zhang Fan in discussion to talk about their writing careers and the motivation driving their creativity.
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09
Vivid, Complex, Nuanced – Crafting New Worlds
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Speakers: Clemens J. Setz (France), Jiang Bo (China)
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Time: Tuesday, September 20. 7pm Beijing Time
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From inter-galactical landscapes to appalling near-future vistas, Clemens J. Setz and Jiang Bo will discuss how as writers they carefully set vivid, complex and nuanced scenes in their literary landscapes and then invite their readers in. Renowned science-fiction author Jiang Bo has published over fifty short stories and several novels, including The Gate of Machine and The Galaxy Heart trilogy. His work has been honored with multiple Galaxy and Xingyun Awards. Austrian writer Clemens J. Setz was awarded the prestigious Georg Büchner Prize for his novel Indigo in which Austria is in the grip of a sinister epidemic: Indigo Syndrome. Children are the carriers and these Indigo children are sent away to the mountainous heart of the country – and they never come back. CITIC Press will soon release Indigo in China (translated by Li Shuangzhi ) as well as Setz’s gripping story collection Die Liebe zur Zeit des Mahlstädter Kindes. Clemens J Setz and Jiang Bo will join literary translator Li Shuangzhi in conversation.
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10 MasterClass:
Character Arcs and Suspension of Disbelief
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Speakers: Mihaela Marija Perkovic (Croatia)
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Time: Wednesday, September 21. 7pm Beijing Time
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Croatian science fiction writer Mihaela Marija Perkovic will explore character arcs and the suspension of disbelief in a short writing class, with a focus on troubleshooting plot holes and handling characters when writing novellas and novels. Mihaela Marija Perkovic is an award-winning Croatian author, editor, scriptwriter, translator, workshopper, con-runner, and geek whisperer. She has been running writing workshops for 15 years, both in science fiction fandom and in Croatian schools and culture societies.
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11 Intertwining Strands:
Science Fiction, Fantasy and Reality
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Speakers: Hannu Rajaniemi (Finland), Tang Fei (China)
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Time: Thursday, September 22. 7pm Beijing Time
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Finnish writer Hannu Rajaniemi and Chinese writer Tang Fei are both renowned literary talents who consistently develop spellbinding narratives that seamlessly blend the real, the unreal and the surreal. They will discuss the wider science fiction and fantasy literary scenes, their own writing, and the intricate weaving of intertwining strands in their narratives. Hannu Rajaniemi is the holder of several advanced degrees in mathematics and physics. Multilingual from an early age, he writes his science fiction in English. He is the author of, among other titles, The Quantum Thief, The Fractal Prince and The Causal Angel (published in China by Sichuan Technology Publishing House), a trilogy that is described as a crazy joyride through the solar system several centuries hence, a world of marching cities, ubiquitous public-key encryption, people communicating by sharing memories, and a race of hyper-advanced humans. Tang Fei is a multi-award-winning Chinese author of speculative fiction. She is the author of Odysscyber as well as The Person Who Sees Cetus and The Unnamed Feast. These works have been described by Professor David Der-wei Wang as a fascinating medley of post-human sagas. Hannu Rajaniemi and Tang Fei will be joined in conversation by literary translator Sun Jia.
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12 MasterClass:
Voices, Characters and Breaking Stereotypes in the Development
of Female Narrators
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Speakers: Ana-Maria Negrilă (Romania)
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Time: Friday, September 23. 7pm Beijing Time
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Fictional books are full of voices. They belong to the narrators who were given the role to tell not only their own stories, but also the ones of the other characters. In this presentation, Ana-Maria Negrilă will discuss some of these narrators, their relationship with the other characters, and their importance to the story. She will also refer to the experience gained while developing female narrators and characters and will highlight the traits that make female characters look real beyond the stereotype of the “strong woman”.
Ana-Maria Negrilă is a Romanian writer, translator, and literary critic. She has published novels and several collections of short stories, and has won multiple awards including the Colin Literary Award in 2021. She is also a non-fiction writer and has published articles on a variety of topics ranging from history and education to social and gender studies.
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13 Literary Intersections:
Assessing the Philosophical and the Technological in Science Fiction
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Speakers: Ina Rosvall (Sweden), Regina Kanyu Wang (China)
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Time: Saturday, September 24, 7pm Beijing Time
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Acclaimed writers Ina Rosvall from Sweden and Regina Kanyu Wang from China will discuss how science fiction serves as both a platform to explore a raft of philosophical questions and as a way to probe how technological advances may affect our minds, our lives and our very consciousness. Ina Rosvall is theauthor of sci-fi books Harungen (The Young Hare), her critically acclaimed debut that explores the physical aspects of consciousness, and Livbärarna (In vivo), which was released this year. As well as being a writer, she works as a clinical psychologist in Sweden. Regina Kanyu Wang is an award-winning writer, researcher and editor of several titles, including The Way Spring Arrives and Other Stories, an all-women-and-non-binary anthology of Chinese speculative fiction. Ina Rosvall and Regina Kanyi Wang will join Zhang Yiwei in conversation.
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14 From Ants to Robots:
Unravelling the Tangled Future
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Speakers: Bernard Werber (France), Fei Dao (China)
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Time: Sunday, September 25. 7pm Beijing Time
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Today we are joined by two legendary science fiction writers, Bernard Werber from France and Chinese literary talent Fei Dao, to discuss their ground-breaking work. These two authors have both built up ardent followings with their creative writing styles that blend science fiction, philosophy, mythology and consciousness with powerful storytelling. Since the publication of the “Ants” trilogy, Bernard Werber has been one of the most widely read authors in France, translated all over the world, such as in Russia and South Korea where he is a veritable cult author selling millions of books. The Times of London said Werber’s trilogy was “Exhilaratingly thought-provoking … to put the matter quite simply, it is a masterpiece.” Fei Dao, the author of multi-award-winning collections such as The Storytelling Robot (Jiang gushi de jiqiren) and The Long Journey to Death (Qusi de manman lütu) is widely known for his captivating use of the science fiction genre to contemplate our future and address pressing societal issues. Bernard Werber and Fei Dao will be joined in discussion by literary translator Wu Zhenghao.
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