"It is science fiction’s mission to broaden and deepen people’s minds. If someone on the way home from work at night pauses to look thoughtfully up at the stars for a while because of a sci-fi story they’ve read, then that work is a great success. Unfortunately, our current sci-fi is also benumbed to a considerable extent, and I see two possible reasons. The first is conceptual. There’s an idea that sci-fi, like mainstream literature, is about relationships between people. This idea reduces the universe to nothing but a prop, a set piece, a supporting role. It cannot be denied that this idea has given rise to many excellent works, but sci-fi is at its strongest and most charming when it depicts the relationship between people and the universe. In sci-fi, the universe itself should be a protagonist, as much as any of its characters."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Science fiction authorsSoftware engineersNovelists from ChinaHugo Award winnersShort story writers from China
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
The “Church” of Sci-Fi (p. 94)
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Liu_Cixin
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Liu Cixin
23 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Liu Cixin →
Related Quotes
"The world described by modern physics has already moved far beyond our common sense and intuition, even beyond our im…"
"As to the future of humanity, I’m essentially an optimist. I believe that with the advancement of technology, mankind…"
"Contemporary China is a complex society in transition. The kinds of technological and social changes that took societ…"
"The glories and obstacles of the past are just a speck compared to the vastness of the future."
"Nostalgia ages people, but science fiction is a literature of youth. Its spirit is the youthful yearning for new worl…"
"In the remote future, when people remember the history of the mid-twentieth century to the present, all of the great …"
"In technological terms, space voyages and environmental protections seem different in character, with the former bein…"
"Of all the unexpected things that might interrupt Chinese science fiction’s development, social unrest has to be the …"
"The world of fantasy and myth isn’t really that large. The universe, as depicted in Eastern and Western mythology ali…"
"As a child, I witnessed a great deal of violence and persecution as well as social unrest during The Cultural Revolut…"