“Taking readers to a poetic and philosophical world with thoughts and language”
Hao Jingfang, winner of the Hugo Award of World Science Fiction Conference, has multiple identities. She is not only an author, but also an Economic Researcher Fellow, the founder of Tong Xing School and Fangjing Science Fiction. Her main works include Folding Beijing (《北京折叠》), The Depths of Loneliness (《孤独深处》), Vagabonds (《流浪苍穹》), Mirror of Man (《人之彼岸》), Go the Distance (《去远方》), Child, I wish you a brave life with light in your heart (《孩子，愿你一生勇敢，心中有光》) , Universe Jumpers (《宇宙跃迁者》), China Frontier: Why not ask Scientists (《中国前沿：不如问问科学家吧》), etc. At the opening of the 7th EU-China International Literature Festival, Hao Jingfang expressed her views on topics such as how fantasy literature shapes our worldview, how to break the “folding”, and poetic science fiction.
How Fantasy Literature Constructs Worldviews
Many readers love fantasy literature because of their strong curiosity towards the world and the desires to explore possibilities. These possibilities are expressed in literature as unique, solid and fascinating imaginary worlds constructed by writers. “There are two possibilities for constructing worldviews of fantasy literature: the first is to start from science, and the second is to start with people.” Hao Jingfang said, “Building a worldview from science is generally an extension of existing science, or a construction of different world conditions, such as the future world view and its basic rules of the coexistence between humans and robots pictured by Asimov which was based on the trend of computer development, or for example, I constructed the multiverse worldview of my new novel from the latest multiverse research. To build a worldview from the perspective of people is generally to touch certain characteristics of human or society, to construct a new world, and to discuss these characteristics. For example, Dune (《沙丘》) magnifies the desires of resource snatching within different forces to a universal level. And, in Vagabonds (《流浪苍穹》) I constructed an Earth which is extremely commercialized and a shared society on Mars.”
The rationality and tenderness in Hao Jingfang’s creative characteristics are inseparable from her years of cross-border experience in the fields of physics, economics, literature, and education. In 2002 she was awarded the First Prize in the New Concept Writing Competition. She graduated from Tsinghua University Department of Physics in 2006, and got her doctor’s degree from Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management in 2013. She worked in Research Department I of China Development Research Foundation from 2013 to 2018. In 2016, she founded Fangjing Science Fiction Studio, a film and television studio dedicated to the creation of sustainable science fiction literature and films. When looking back, she says that “On the one hand, I have found the commonalities of many subjects and am able to reflect on these subjects with a coherent thinking method. For example, I observe the human economy and society from a systematic perspective, and understand the exchange of wealth through the exchange of energy, which makes it easier to understand the society macroscopically. In addition, when I build a world view in a story, it is easier to construct it simultaneously from the perspectives of up-to-date science, social economy and the role of characters, so as to ensure a much richer sci-fi future. The future remains uncertain and is driven by the complex superposition of scientific laws and human emotional desires. Therefore, we can only understand the development of the actual world better with a multi-dimensional and diverse knowledge system.”
Breaking the “Folding”
With powerful writing skills, Hao Jingfang’s representative work Folding Beijing (《北京折叠》) tells a social fable about class solidification and unemployment crisis which brings the readers profound inspiration. Regarding how to break the “folding”, Hao Jingfang said, “First of all, from society’s point of view, we need to break the folding from education, let every child have the opportunity to receive quality education equally from the very beginning. This is also the original intention when I founded Tong Xing School. Secondly, from the aspect of individuals, we need to be brave to innovate, embrace changes in the world, and engage in pioneering careers with a more open mind. Only by constantly developing our knowledge can people create more opportunities for themselves and others, breaking the folding.”
“The original intention of engaging in children’s general education is to bridge the social ‘folding’ with education. The educational resources and employment channels that elite families provide their children with are an important factor in class solidification. In order to achieve a more flexible, active, open and equal society, it is necessary to give every child the same high-quality educational opportunities. However, the traditional education system could not provide children from poor families with a broader knowledge horizon, nor a successful path other than examinations. Therefore, I am committed to explore education equality through promoting social enterprises.” Hao Jingfang said, “In addition, I think the development of education system is far behind the development of science and technology in the society. The way the education system teaches knowledge is still too rigid, that makes it difficult to cultivate essential creativity which is future-oriented. Therefore, when I founded Tong Xing School, I use creativity as its core, hoping to create space for children to think and practice, cultivate creative thinking, and encourage creativity to thrive.”
Poetic Science Fiction
Liu Cixin praised Hao Jingfang’s work, saying that it is “sprinkling our common sci-fi themes with a layer of poetic sunshine. . . . This kind of poetry makes people feel classical yet at the same time modern and avant-garde.”
Hao Jingfang responded that “I hope my works will always be poetic or philosophical. In comparison with strong plot or fast-paced works, I prefer to work hard to explore philosophical speculation. In other words, by using thoughts and language, I hope to take readers into a poetic and philosophical world. I love nature, music, poetry and philosophy, so I hope my work can give people a similar feeling.”
At the upcoming 7th EU-China International Literary Festival, Hao Jingfang will join Italian science fiction writer and editor Francesco Verso, in conversation with Zhang Fan, to discuss their writing and “World-Building and Imagination-Shaping in Science Fiction and Fantasy.”