Source: Economic Daily
Economic Daily reporter Guo Jingyuan and Qin Haojun
In the "hard core field" built of steel and cement, science fiction fans who are shuttling around from all directions gather here, red blue neon and fantasy pictures intertwined... The 2020 China Science Fiction Conference was recently held in Shougang Park, Shijingshan District, Beijing, and the scenes of science fiction pictures with full sense of future are fascinating. With the popularity of the "Three Body" series and the popularity of "Wandering Earth", Chinese science fiction seems to have ushered in a "golden age". What is the development level of science fiction industry? Where is the next "blockbuster" work?
From the 2020 China Science Fiction Industry Report released by the 2020 China Science Fiction Conference, it is not difficult to find that the development of China's science fiction industry is changing from a "burst period" of rapid development to a "stable period" of steady progress. The report shows that in 2019, the total output value of China's science fiction industry reached 65.871 billion yuan, up 44.3% from 45.635 billion yuan in 2018. Among them, science fiction games account for the highest proportion, with an annual output value of 43 billion yuan, becoming the "mainstay" of China's science fiction industry; A number of domestic sci-fi films represented by Wandering Earth and Crazy Aliens grossed 7.141 billion yuan, 2.12 times as much as in 2018; Although the overall output value of the paper publishing industry has declined, the digital reading and audio reading market related to science fiction content has seen growth.
Wu Yan, a professor at South University of Science and Technology and director of the Scientific Human Imagination Research Center, said that in terms of the content of science fiction works, we are no different from other countries in the world. We also pay attention to new changes in artificial intelligence, quantum technology, biotechnology, etc., but we need some unusual and different works, which is the essence of science fiction innovation.
"China's science fiction industry still has huge development potential to be tapped." Chen Lifan, a young science fiction writer and deputy director of the Science Fiction Professional Committee of the Chinese Association for Science and Technology, believes that China has produced many cutting-edge scientific and technological achievements. How to integrate these seemingly remote contents into Chinese people's cognition through science fiction imagination, and turn science fiction consciousness into vivid and interesting stories, To influence more people is a problem that we must think about.
In 2019, the total number of categories of science fiction peripheral products in China exceeded 1000, and the overall market value was about 1.35 billion yuan. It is worth mentioning that in the product exhibition area set up by the Administration of Future Affairs of Domestic Sci Fi Cultural and Creative Brands, a number of independently created sci-fi toys and handcrafts, such as "universe drawer" and hamster Clark, have attracted many sci-fi fans. "China's sci-fi industry chain has gradually improved. The sci-fi that used to exist in words is expanding to more dimensions. Film, television, games, toys, and the surrounding areas will all become the driving force of the sci-fi economy." Ji Shaoting, founder of the Future Affairs Administration, told the Economic Daily.
A series of support policies and implementation measures related to science fiction industry were also announced during the conference. The first national policy to promote science fiction industry - "Shijingshan District 16 Science Fiction Articles" was officially released, and Shijingshan District will set up a special fund of 50 million yuan to promote the development of science fiction industry cluster from key technologies, original talents, scene construction and other aspects of science fiction industry; The official inauguration of the National Science Fiction Popular Science Film Projection Alliance indicates that a set of contact mechanisms to promote the development of science fiction films is being effectively established, which undoubtedly injects a shot of "booster" into the promotion of Several Opinions on Promoting the Development of Science Fiction Films.
The science fiction industry cannot thrive without further improvement of the industrial model and follow-up of talent cultivation. Dong Renwei, honorary director of the China Association of Popular Science Writers and science fiction writer, said that science fiction films need a complete industrialization system to introduce more professionals into the industry, establish more original teams with commercial operation capabilities, and unite the forces of the entire science fiction industry chain for common development and mutual support.
