Maya archaeological site in Cancun, Mexico Photo: VCG

Before becoming an award-winning science fiction writer, Baoshu was simply a fan fascinated by Hugo Award winner Liu Cixin's The Three-Body Problem. His desire to explore the universe created by the blockbuster trilogy led him to write The Redemption of Time (Remembrance of Earth's Past), a fan work that later became a published novel.

Years later, Baoshu has become one of the notable voices in Chinese science fiction. He was honored with the Mao Dun Newcomer Award this year, one of China's most prestigious literary awards for young writers. Established in 2015, the award recognizes outstanding writers and critics under the age of 45.

The award committee said his works have expanded the possibilities of science fiction through exploration of time, civilizations and the impact of technology on everyday life.

The honor adds to a growing list of achievements. Baoshu had previously won the Galaxy Award, China's equivalent of the Nebula Awards. His short story Tasting the Future Delicacy Three Times was a finalist for the Hugo Award for Best Short Story in 2024.

In his latest novel, The Sky of Kukulkan, published by New Star Press, Baoshu turns his fascination with the ancient Maya civilization into a story about humanity itself. The book is Baoshu's first major work after receiving the Mao Dun Newcomer Award.

Set during the final period of the Maya Classic era, the novel follows a fallen prince who, with the help of a priestess, gradually uncovers the secrets behind astronomical movements, unusual solar phenomena and the legend of the Feathered Serpent deity.

For Baoshu, the story is ultimately not only about the Maya, but also a reflection of humanity itself, its pursuit of knowledge and the universe, as well as the conflicts driven by human flaws.

"I think the most fascinating part of this story is that the Maya civilization is a microcosm of humanity itself," Baoshu told the Global Times. "It reflects mankind's journey to explore the universe and seek truth, while also showing how human weaknesses, such as greed and hostility, can lead to endless conflicts within society."

Chinese sci-fi writer Baoshu Photo: Courtesy of New Star Press

The road to sci-fi

Born in 1980, Baoshu developed his passion for writing early. After moving to Haiyan, East China's Zhejiang Province, at the age of 6 with his parents, who worked in nuclear power construction, he spent much of his childhood reading science fiction and popular science books in local libraries.

As a primary school student, he began writing his own science fiction stories, although he said that his early works were immature.

His pen name, "Baoshu," has a much simpler origin. More than two decades ago, he chose it casually as an online username because he was a fan of Chinese martial arts novelist Jin Yong and created several usernames inspired by characters from Jin Yong's works. Most disappeared over time, but "Baoshu" remained.

After studying philosophy at Peking University, he continued writing short stories. His professional science fiction career began in 2010 while studying in Belgium, when his admiration for Liu Cixin's The Three-Body Problem inspired him to write the fan fiction novel The Redemption of Time (Remembrance of Earth's Past).

"His work has always set a benchmark for me, a standard I hope to approach even if it remains a distant goal," he said.

For Baoshu, The Redemption of Time (Remembrance of Earth's Past) was driven mainly by his love for Liu's fictional universe and his desire to explore the possibilities beyond the original trilogy.

"The world created by The Three-Body Problem is so rich and diverse that you feel there are many stories behind it that were not told," he said. 

"I wanted to express some of those possibilities in my own way."

The cover of Baoshu's The Sky of Kukulkan. Photo: Courtesy of New Star Press

Sci-fi future

Baoshu said that, looking ahead, science fiction will continue expanding as technology changes society.

With technology such as artificial intelligence (AI) advancing at an unprecedented pace, the boundary between science fiction and reality is becoming increasingly blurred. Ideas once imagined only in novels are now entering everyday life, creating new questions and possibilities for writers to explore.

AI, for example, has created new creative opportunities and raised new questions about humanity's relationship with machines. But he noted that AI is not an entirely new topic for science fiction.

"Science fiction has been writing about AI for many years," he told the Global Times. "At different stages, new technologies emerge and connect with new social issues, creating new possibilities for storytelling."

He expects one major direction for future science fiction will be "science fiction realism" - stories that focus on how technology affects ordinary life, society and human emotions.

Another challenge for Chinese science fiction is finding deeper connections with local culture.

"Science fiction was once seen as a relatively foreign literary form because it originated overseas," Baoshu said. "But as the genre expands into deeper areas of social life, it also changes how we understand the past."

He said, as science fiction continues to gain popularity in China, the genre is creating more opportunities for new voices. 

Efforts to promote new forms of popular literature have given people from different backgrounds more opportunities to write and share their voices.