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Xinhua News Agency, Chengdu, August 6 (Reporters Li Qianwei and Yu Li) "The success of the "Wandering Earth" series of films lies not only in the remarkable progress of China's film industry technology, but also in the Chinese cultural core it contains." At the 37th Popular Film Hundred Flowers Award Science Fiction Forum and Chengdu Film Industry Special Promotion Conference held here recently, the guests commented on the "Wandering Earth" series of films in this way.

Previously, "The Wandering Earth 2" was nominated for three awards at the 37th Popular Film Hundred Flowers Awards. Lu Shaoyang, a professor at the School of Journalism and Communication of Peking University, believes that concepts such as family culture, ethical family affection, dedication and sacrifice, collectivism and collaboration constitute the spiritual core of the "The Wandering Earth" series of films.

In the view of the guests, science fiction works are a kind of "world language" with a common "skeleton" based on science, while different cultures are the spiritual core that shapes the temperament and image of science fiction works in various countries.

In 1980, the film "Death Ray on Coral Island" produced by Shanghai Film Studio caused a huge sensation. The film showed laser weapons, robots and advanced equipment, and was considered to be the first Chinese science fiction film that truly met the characteristics of a genre film. For a long time afterwards, Chinese science fiction films and television works were in a forgotten corner.

After Liu Cixin won the Hugo Award for "The Three-Body Problem" in 2015, Chinese science fiction films have regained attention. In 2019, "The Wandering Earth", adapted from Liu Cixin's work of the same name, was released. This year was defined by many practitioners as the first year of Chinese science fiction films.

Wang Hongwei, secretary general of the China Film Directors Association, has participated in the production of science fiction films such as The Wandering Earth 2, Space Exploration Editorial Department, and Safe Evacuation from the 21st Century in recent years. He believes that after the release of the Wandering Earth series, filmmakers have begun to think more deeply about the local values ​​​​contained in Chinese science fiction films. "We need to make more audiences think about and be curious about the future," said Wang Hongwei.

The 37th Popular Film Hundred Flowers Award Science Fiction Forum and Chengdu Film Industry Special Promotion Conference was held in Chengdu (photo taken on August 4). Xinhua News Agency

In recent years, different types of science fiction films such as "Lone Moon" and "Cosmic Editors Club" have been released, and more and more filmmakers have devoted themselves to the creation of science fiction films.

In the view of Chen Qiufan, deputy director of the Science Fiction Literature Committee of the China Writers Association, Chinese science fiction works need to find differences from Western science fiction, such as Chinese elements, Chinese emotions, Chinese themes, etc. "At the next stage, we can also tell science fiction stories with Chinese core from a global perspective."

Guo Fan, director of the "The Wandering Earth" series of films and vice chairman of the China Film Association, believes that to become a qualified director requires not only a love of film art, control of film technology, and application of the film industry, but also a deep understanding and insight into the needs of the world, society, and the audience.

"In the next 10 years, I will continue to delve into science fiction films, create more science fiction films with Chinese characteristics and highlighting Chinese culture, and continue on the path of film industrialization," said Guo Fan.

Connecting the past and the future, the development of science fiction films is also closely related to technological progress.

Submarines, satellite communications, mobile phones... Many descriptions in science fiction literature and movies in the past have become reality, and today's science fiction works are imagining a picture of the future. "Science fiction and technological innovation are in a double helix relationship. Science fiction is imagination, and technology is creativity," said science fiction writer Wang Jinkang.

From observing the sky with the "Sky Eye" to chasing the sun with "Kuafu", and then to the launch of Chang'e-6... Jiang Zhenyu, a member of the Science Fiction Professional Committee of the China Science Writers Association, believes that in recent years, the rapid development of China's science and technology has brought science fiction writers a steady stream of creative inspiration.

Ji Shaoting, founder and CEO of the Future Affairs Administration, believes that China's science and technology is developing at a high speed, which makes everyone think about the relationship between themselves and technology. Science fiction is the best carrier for the world to understand China's views on the country and the world, the past and the future, the universe and humans.

(Xinhuanet)