Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Literature, Art and Human Development (ICLAHD 2025)

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From Liu Cixin to The Wandering Earth: The Modern Struggle for Legitimacy in Chinese Science Fiction

Authors
Minghao Liu1, *
1Nanjing Foreign Language School, Nanjing, 210006, China
*Corresponding author. Email: jackliu_2008@icloud.com
Corresponding Author
Minghao Liu
Available Online 31 December 2025.
DOI
10.2991/978-2-38476-511-9_72How to use a DOI?
Keywords
Chinese science fiction; canonization; legitimacy; cultural capital; convergence culture; fandom; state recognition; commercialization; global modernity
Abstract

Since the 1990s, Chinese science fiction has undergone a remarkable revival, evolving from marginal literature to a globally recognised cultural phenomenon. Focusing on Liu Cixin’s works and their media adaptations, this study examines how canonisation—through fan participation, state endorsement, and commercial industrialisation—has shaped the genre’s legitimacy. Early fan communities, facilitated by print magazines and online forums, fostered participatory culture that both supported and challenged authorial authority. In the 2019–present period, state recognition and market forces consolidated SF as a national brand, exemplified by The Wandering Earth franchise. This paper argues that Chinese SF’s ascent reflects a dynamic negotiation among grassroots creativity, institutional power, and global markets, highlighting both the opportunities and constraints of canonisation.

Copyright
© 2025 The Author(s)
Open Access
Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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Volume Title
Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Literature, Art and Human Development (ICLAHD 2025)
Series
Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research
Publication Date
31 December 2025
ISBN
978-2-38476-511-9
ISSN
2352-5398
DOI
10.2991/978-2-38476-511-9_72How to use a DOI?
Copyright
© 2025 The Author(s)
Open Access
Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

Cite this article

risenwbib
TY  - CONF
AU  - Minghao Liu
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/12/31
TI  - From Liu Cixin to The Wandering Earth: The Modern Struggle for Legitimacy in Chinese Science Fiction
BT  - Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Literature, Art and Human Development (ICLAHD 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 625
EP  - 631
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-511-9_72
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-511-9_72
ID  - Liu2025
ER  -