Article text: Han Song, a significant voice in Chinese science fiction, navigates the perplexities that stem from China’s rapid modernization. His works serve as both a mirror and a lens, reflecting the past while projecting his unsettling visions into the future. For over 40 years, he has been chronicling China’s transformation, as well as the unsettling social dynamics that accompany it.
In 2000, Han wrote a groundbreaking novel that foreshadowed the catastrophic collapse of the World Trade Center. Fast forward to 2016, and he released another dystopic narrative portraying a world assimilated into an oversized hospital, preemptively alluding to societal disruptions akin to those experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Han, now 59, finds these correlations troubling, noting, “I believed I was merely crafting fiction, not predicting the bleak direction of reality.”
His writing, filled with grotesque imagery and poignant criticism, dives deep into the contrasts between Eastern and Western ideologies. One notable story, “The Passengers and the Creator,” depicts the reverence of Chinese individuals for an enigmatic deity named Boeing. Through various unsettling scenarios, such as dark urban settings furnished with themes of cannibalism and other grotesque spectacles, Han continually examines the psychological effects of contemporary Chinese life.
By day, he serves as a journalist for China’s state news agency, relaying tales of the nation’s unprecedented advancement. Yet, as night falls, he dives into the surreal and often sinister layers of existence through the imaginative lens of his writing, crafting a nuanced contemplation of humanity in an era of transformational change.
In 2000, Han wrote a groundbreaking novel that foreshadowed the catastrophic collapse of the World Trade Center. Fast forward to 2016, and he released another dystopic narrative portraying a world assimilated into an oversized hospital, preemptively alluding to societal disruptions akin to those experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Han, now 59, finds these correlations troubling, noting, “I believed I was merely crafting fiction, not predicting the bleak direction of reality.”
His writing, filled with grotesque imagery and poignant criticism, dives deep into the contrasts between Eastern and Western ideologies. One notable story, “The Passengers and the Creator,” depicts the reverence of Chinese individuals for an enigmatic deity named Boeing. Through various unsettling scenarios, such as dark urban settings furnished with themes of cannibalism and other grotesque spectacles, Han continually examines the psychological effects of contemporary Chinese life.
By day, he serves as a journalist for China’s state news agency, relaying tales of the nation’s unprecedented advancement. Yet, as night falls, he dives into the surreal and often sinister layers of existence through the imaginative lens of his writing, crafting a nuanced contemplation of humanity in an era of transformational change.
