Ma Guobin: Shenzhen Will Become the Promised Land for Chinese Science Fiction
LAPost Shenzhen/Los Angeles (November 25, 2024)– On November 17, Ma Guobin attended an event titled Prologue to the Future: Sino-French Science Fiction Art Masters Exhibition at Shekou Wanxia in Shenzhen. During the event, he casually interviewed a fifth-grade student from Shekou Yucai Middle School, Xiao Chuchu (alias). When asked why she participated in such a science fiction event, she excitedly responded, “One of my sci-fi paintings was selected to be exhibited alongside works by masters! I think sci-fi is the coolest thing because it lets us imagine the future!”
Exhibition site of Future Prologue in November 2024 (Photo provided by: SGF)
Ma Guobin, Chairman of the Shenzhen Science and Fantasy Growth Foundation, participated in the third season of the Sino-French Science Fiction Art Masters Exhibition. This large-scale sci-fi art exhibition was co-hosted by the Shenzhen Science and Fantasy Growth Fund (hereafter referred to as the “SGF”), the Nantes Science Fiction Festival Committee in France, and the Nanfeng Society. Its aim is to foster cultural exchanges between China and France and to promote the internationalization of Chinese science fiction.
According to reports, the SGF one of the exhibition’s initiators, was founded in March 2015 by a group of sci-fi enthusiasts, including scientists, investors, sci-fi writers, engineers, and philanthropists. It is China’s first and only public welfare fund dedicated to advancing the science fiction industry. Over the years, it has grown into a leading incubator for the national sci-fi industry ecosystem, boasting the country’s largest copyright library for new-generation sci-fi writers. The fund has hosted significant events, including the 2018 China Science Fiction Conference, the 2019 China Science Fiction Film Week, and the 2021 Shenzhen Sci-Fi Week. It is now recognized as one of China’s most active professional sci-fi dissemination organizations.
The fund’s founders and board members come from diverse backgrounds, spanning sci-fi creation, technology industries, cultural and creative sectors, venture incubation, public welfare, media operations, and cultural education. Despite their varied industries, their shared passion for science fiction has become the driving force behind the fund’s robust growth.
On November 18, Ma Guobin gave an exclusive interview to the Los Angeles Post while the American journalist was traveling in China. He elaborated on the current state and future prospects of Shenzhen’s sci-fi literature and industry development.
Ma highlighted that “Last fall, Shenzhen-based writer Haiya gained international acclaim for winning the Hugo Award—the most prestigious honor in the global science fiction community—for her novel Time Painter. This achievement made her the third Chinese sci-fi writer to win the Hugo Award, bringing Shenzhen’s sci-fi literary creations to the global stage. Shenzhen has also consistently ranked among the top ten cities nationwide in the China Science Fiction City Index.”
Shenzhen’s local sci-fi incubation platform—the SGF—was one of the five co-organizing partners of Chengdu’s 2023 World Science Fiction Convention. It has also been recognized for its long-term support of China’s sci-fi industry with the Sci-Fi Planet Award for Outstanding Contributions at this year’s China Science Fiction Conference. “Shenzhen boasts not only a vibrant local community of sci-fi writers but also an increasing number of sci-fi events. The SGF name appears at nearly every major sci-fi event in Shenzhen, as well as events in Beijing, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Dunhuang, Ganzhou, Shangqiu, Guilin, and even as far away as Nantes, France,” Ma noted.
“Science fiction was once seen as a niche culture, but with Liu Cixin’s The Three-Body Problem achieving lasting popularity and the blockbuster success of The Wandering Earth, we’ve discovered a surprising number of sci-fi enthusiasts among IT company executives and employees in Shenzhen’s tech parks,” Ma added.
Science fiction is a “forward-looking” cultural form that uses imagination to conduct “thought experiments,” envisioning various possibilities for the future. Additionally, sci-fi serves as a productive force that stimulates public imagination. Not only is it one of the most promising cultural industries of the New Wave era, but it also significantly drives technological innovation, underscoring its critical importance.
Ma Guobin delivered a keynote speech at the Chengdu World Science Fiction Conference in October 2023 (Photo provided by: SGF)
Shenzhen, home to leading tech giants such as Huawei, Tencent, and DJI, is a stronghold for China’s technology industry. According to the SET Framework (Science, Education, Talent) for evaluating collaborative development in innovation cities, Shenzhen ranks 11th globally, following Boston, San Francisco, Beijing, New York, London, Los Angeles, Seattle, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Tokyo. The SGF office is located in the southern district of Shenzhen Science Park.
In November 2017, the SGF team and Hugo Award-winning author Hao Jingfang went to the Nantes Science Fiction Festival (Photo provided by: SGF)
Over the past decade, the SGF has hosted major events such as the Morning Star Cup Chinese Original Sci-Fi Competition and the Dunhuang Cup International Sci-Fi Invitational. These events have established the largest new-generation sci-fi IP copyright library in China. The Morning Star Cup series alone has attracted over 6,300 participants, generating more than 76 million words across 8,500 sci-fi works. Of these, 70 promising creators have been awarded and funded, representing the first career step for many professional sci-fi writers. Furthermore, the fund has incubated companies specializing in physical effects, derivative products, and special props, providing industry advisory services for film companies. For example, the visual effects company behind The Wandering Earth 2—Mancas Technology—was incubated by the SGF in 2016.
The Shenzhen Science Fiction Week event carefully organized by the SGF in October 2021 (Photo provided by: SGF)
Ma believes Shenzhen’s history as a frontier for China’s reform and innovation has imbued it with a unique culture of bold imagination and exploration. Coupled with its diverse high-tech industry ecosystem and its focus on technological innovation, Shenzhen naturally aligns with the sci-fi industry.
In November 2023, the SGF supervisor, initiators, board members and secretarial team took a group photo in Chengdu (Photo provided by: SGF)
“Science fiction is not just a cultural industry with immense growth potential; it also greatly contributes to scientific and cultural innovation. Shenzhen, in particular, has a distinct sci-fi character. As a rapidly developing city with countless emerging high-tech products entering the market, Shenzhen embodies the essence of science fiction: breaking barriers and liberating thought. The city’s pioneering spirit and high public acceptance of sci-fi further underscore its suitability as a ‘Promised Land’ for Chinese science fiction,” Ma concluded.
The SGF continues to expand its activities nationwide, fostering greater enthusiasm for sci-fi through events like Shenzhen Sci-Fi Week, which integrates cutting-edge technology, creative content, and physical spaces. This approach addresses challenges such as “breaking out of the niche” and promoting cross-disciplinary integration, helping transform the sci-fi industry from a professional and cultural pursuit into a fully-fledged commercial enterprise.
On November 18, 2024, Ma Guobin, chairman of the SGF, was interviewed by the Los Angeles Post (Photo by: Richard Ren/LAPost)
“More and more people are beginning to understand the core of science fiction—its connection to imagination and creativity. This is a promising trend,” Ma emphasized. “From a professional perspective, the sci-fi industry integrates diverse elements such as literary and artistic content, education, talent development, and scientific outreach, forming a comprehensive chain. Each link is represented in the Sci-Fi Fund’s activities and contributes to the advancement of smart cities, high-tech industries, and future-oriented enterprises.”
“Perhaps in the near future, Shenzhen will truly become the ‘Promised Land’ for Chinese science fiction,” Ma concluded.
By Richard Ren / LAPost
