China’s first sci-fi institute was recently established in the city of Chengdu in China’s southwestern Sichuan province. It is expected to offer a platform for Chinese sci-fi producers to create more innovative works.

The institute, jointly established by Sichuan University and Sichuan Association for Science and Technology, will broaden the vision of China’s sci-fi industry and promote the sci-fi culture in every possible way, said Li Yi, dean of the College of Literature and Journalism of Sichuan University.

“People with different backgrounds are working on the sci-fi industry. What the predecessors thought, what we think and what we will do are very important. So it’s necessary to establish a theoretical platform and build systems where interdisciplinary researchers can figure out what sci-fi really is,” remarked Jiang Zhenyu, China’s first sci-fi literature doctor, and one of the major initiators of the institute.

Universities are an important front for sci-fi research, but Jiang hopes that the institute can go beyond theories and offer more than just theories.

He believes that sci-fi literature is in fact shaping society in a subtle way, and this institute should be reality-oriented and play its due role in promoting the sci-fi industry. For instance, it can help small and medium sized sci-fi enterprises in Sichuan and even across the country, and offer relevant guidance to them.