Ken Liu: Invisible Planets: Contemporary Chinese Science Fiction in Translation

“What Makes Chinese Science Fiction Chinese?” by Xia Jia.Tor.com , July 22, 2014. English text © 2014 by Xia Jia and Ken Liu.

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This is a collection of fiction and nonfiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in these stories are either products of the authors’ imaginations or are used fictitiously.

INVISIBLE PLANETS: CONTEMPORARY CHINESE SCIENCE FICTION IN TRANSLATION

Copyright © 2016 by Ken Liu

All rights reserved.

Cover design by Jamie Stafford-Hill

Cover photograph of spiral galaxy M81 (detail) by NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage team

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ISBN 978-0-7653-8419-5 (hardcover)

ISBN 978-0-7653-8418-8 (e-book)

e-ISBN 9780765384188

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First Edition: November 2016

All Chinese names in this anthology are given with surname first, in accordance with Chinese custom.

There is, in fact, a fairly vibrant body of academic scholarship about Chinese science fiction, with insightful and interesting commentary by scholars such as Mingwei Song, Nathaniel Isaacson, and others. Panels on Chinese science fiction are quite common at academic conferences on comparative literature and Asian studies. However, my impression is that many (most?) genre readers, writers, and critics in established science fiction fandom are not familiar with this body of work. The scholarly essays generally avoid the pitfalls I warn about and are nuanced and careful in their analysis. Readers seeking an informed opinion are urged to look up these works.

The Naxi are an ethnic group living in parts of southwestern China. Lijiang, Yunnan Province, is a center of Naxi culture.

The Lijiang region is famous for the pristine beauty of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and the Old Town of Lijiang, an ancient city of orderly waterways and bridges and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The name of a famous Naxi music scholar.

http://www.locusmag.com/Reviews/2012/02/lois-tilton-reviews-short-fiction-early-february-2/

This and other lines recited by the bat are from Hai Zi’s poem “With Dreams as Horses.”

Hiroshi Watanabe is also the name of a present-day Japanese animator.

Wang Er is the name of the protagonist in stories by the Chinese writer Wang Xiaobo.

This story is set during the Warring States Period, when China was divided into several independent states: Qin, Qi, Chu, Wei, Zhao, Yan, and Han. King Zheng of Qin would eventually conquer the other six states and unify China under the Qin Dynasty. He is known more familiarly as Qin Shihuang, the First Emperor of China.

For the benefit of English readers, Chinese measurement units (such as li , zhang , chi , and cun ) throughout the text have been translated and converted into approximate English equivalents.

One of the four great generals of King Zheng’s campaigns against the other six states. The historical Wang Jian was responsible for the destruction of the states of Yan (where Jing Ke was from), Zhao, and Chu.