On the afternoon of April 27, as one of the important forum activities of the 8th China Science Fiction Convention in 2024, the "2024 China Science Fiction Research Center Annual Conference and Achievement Conference" was successfully held in Shijingshan Shougang Park. The conference was organized by the China Science Fiction Research Center and the Science Fiction Committee of the China Science Writers Association, supported by the China Institute of Science Popularization, the China Science Writers Association, and the Institute of Contemporary China and the World, and co-organized by the Zhongguancun Science Fiction Industry Innovation Center, with nearly 100 people from academia, industry and media attending the conference. Zhou Zhonghe, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chairman of the China Science Writers Association, and Consultant of the China Science Fiction Research Center, Wang Ting, Secretary of the Party Committee and Director of the China Institute of Science Popularization, Secretary of the Party Committee and Executive Vice Chairman of the Council of the China Science Writers Association, and Director of the China Science Fiction Research Center, Wang Jingchun, Deputy Director and Researcher of the China Institute of Science Popularization, and Deputy Director of the China Science Fiction Research Center, Director of the Science and Human Imagination Research Center of Southern University of Science and Technology, Vice Chairman of the China Science Writers Association, Wu Yan, deputy director of the China Science Fiction Research Center, Chen Ling, director and researcher of the Science Popularization Creation and Communication Research Office of the China Institute of Science Popularization, and executive deputy director of the China Science Fiction Research Center, attended the meeting. The meeting was presided over by Deputy Director Wang Jingchun.
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The conference mainly includes the release of results, work summary, the establishment of the Academic Committee of the China Science Fiction Research Center, and the sharing of special reports.
He pointed out that in the process of Chinese culture "going global", the international communication of Chinese science fiction presents diversified, networked and three-dimensional characteristics, and the overseas influence is gradually increasing, and Chinese science fiction is becoming a new cultural force on a global scale.
Then, Professor Wu Yan and Gao Dawei, General Manager of Tencent's Digital Public Opinion Department, jointly released the "Three-Body Problem" IP Overseas Observation Report, which introduced the overall trend of "Three-Body Problem" IP overseas communication, the characteristics of domestic and foreign audiences, and the value of China's science fiction "going overseas" to cultural and technological communication.
In the work summary session, researcher Chen Ling introduced the achievements, progress and future development of the China Science Fiction Research Center since its establishment. She pointed out that the center has established a complete platform system for academic development, talent training and exchange, and has launched multi-dimensional science fiction research results such as "China Science Fiction Development Yearbook", "Research on the Development of Regional Science Fiction Industry", "Youth Science Fiction Education Guide" and "World Science Fiction Dynamics", which provide an important reference for relevant departments to make decisions, industry development and academic research.
The China Science Fiction Research Center has appointed a total of 17 representatives from all walks of life as members of the Academic Committee. The Academic Committee will set the direction and seek the overall situation for the development of the China Science Fiction Research Center, and promote the China Science Fiction Research Center to a new level.
In the special report session, Professor Dai Jinhua of the Department of Chinese of Peking University, Chen Qiufan, vice chairman of the China Science Writers Association and science fiction writer, Yang Ming, Dean of the Xinhua Net Media Future Research Institute, Li Guangyi, Professor of the Institute for Advanced Study of Humanities and Social Sciences of Chongqing University, Zhou Qun, senior language teacher of Beijing Jingshan School, and Wei Hongxiang, researcher of the Institute of Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, shared and exchanged views on science fiction film and television, science fiction creation, science fiction education, science and film integration, and the future development of science fiction.
With the title of "Memory and the Future", Dai Jinhua talked about the current world situation in the context of artificial intelligence, pointing out that technologies such as the metaverse, OpenAI, Sora, and gene editing were once the exclusive domain of science fiction writing, but now they have all become facts and become "crossing the tipping point". What is the future of science fiction and imagination? In this regard, she argues, global science fiction writing is beginning to turn inward—more inward, inner and inward.
Chen Qiufan shared the theme of "Science Fiction Creation in the AIGC Era", he pointed out that science fiction creation in the AIGC era has become a reality, in this context, it is more important to reflect on human writing in AI writing, strengthen the attention to internal sensibility, aesthetics and memory, and use AI to improve the ability and quality of creators.
With the title of "Questions for the Future: Exploration of Science Fiction "New Species" and New Industrial Tracks", Yang Ming pointed out from the perspective of industry and scientific research that the mission of science fiction is to bring four forces to human beings, namely, the power of creation - from insight and imagination, the power of reflection - the power of critical futurism, the power of preview - hypothesis and experiment in the simulated environment, the power of communication - cross-planet and cross-species connection and empathy. He also proposed that the core model of the future development of the science fiction industry is "industry + futurology research - cognitive restart", which focuses on facing the present with "future questions".
Li Guangyi, with the title of "How China Moves from Science Fiction to the World", pointed out that compared with the previous dissemination of cultural works and literary and artistic works, Chinese science fiction works will naturally make the audience accept China as a provider of contemporary scientific and technological achievements and scientific and technological products. At the same time, he believes that science fiction is a carrier for thinking and imagining China's global strategy, and China's main purpose from science fiction to the world is to use science fiction as a carrier to face the common problems faced by human society.
Zhou Qun analyzed the value and significance of science fiction education with the title of "The Road to Solving the Problem of Science Fiction Education: Problem Analysis and Development Strategy", combined with the training needs of innovative talents in primary and secondary education under the background of "double reduction" and the "new college entrance examination", and pointed out that science fiction education should be developed in conjunction with popular science education, so as to jointly make efforts for the cultivation of top-notch innovative talents.
Wei Hongxiang proposed with the title of "The New Track of Hard Science Fiction" that hard science fiction should be combined with many scientific equipment and knowledge such as large scientific devices and extreme conditions to develop bold imagination. It is necessary to embrace the rigid needs of social and economic development more proactively, for example, science fiction should be combined with popular science and scientific innovation, cultural tourism and cultural creativity from the perspective of talent training and cultural self-confidence, so as to find new breakthroughs in development.
Finally, Zhou Zhonghe, chairman of the China Science Writers Association, made a summary of the meeting. He affirmed the achievements of the China Science Fiction Research Center since its establishment, and hoped that science fiction should not only focus on the technical aspects, but also pay more attention to the reflection of humanities from the current education and cultural development.