China

Sci-fi Creative Night: Stories inspired by Cosmos Archaeology

When

Location

Event type

Upcoming
October

Switzerland has a special place in the world of science fiction. It was here, in the midst of its stunning landscapes, that Mary Shelley found the inspiration to write Frankenstein, widely considered the first sci-fi novel. Today, Switzerland continues to celebrate this legacy with places like La Maison d’Ailleurs, the world’s only museum dedicated to science fiction, home to over 100,000 items exploring sci-fi, utopias, and extraordinary voyages.

Recently, the Cosmos Archaeology exhibition—a collaboration between the Shanghai Astronomy Museum, EPFL Pavilions, and Swissnex in China—has taken this passion for sci-fi even further. It features works like Particle Horizon, which imagines a 25th-century astronaut who came to the earth in 6000 BC to seed interstellar consciousness and teach us the language of the stars, and Mass, which juxtaposes a narrative film and a sculpture, both rooted in the original matter, Æther, from creation myths and echoed in quantum physics.

Building on the creativity sparked by this exhibition, Swissnex in China is excited to host Sci-Fi Creative Night on October 18. This event is a continuation of the Sci-Fi Creative Workshop, which was held at the Cosmos Archaeology exhibition. Eight talented students from Fudan University will share their sci-fi stories, inspired by the exhibition, taking us on journeys through speculative futures shaped by cosmic exploration. The evening will also include a conversation with renowned sci-fi writer Bo Jiang, curator Iris Long, and Prof. Qing Lin from the Shanghai Astronomy Museum, offering their insights into crafting visionary sci-fi worlds.

Join us for an evening of exploring the endless possibilities of science fiction storytelling!

Program

  • 6:00pm – Registration
  • 6:30pm – Welcome Remarks by Philippe Roesle, CEO, Consul, Swissnex in China
  • 6:35pm – Introduction of the “Cosmos Archaeology” Exhibition, by Cissy Sun, Head of Academia & Arts, Swissnex in China
  • 6:40pm – Sci-fi Story Sharing & Discussion with Philippe Roesle, Prof. Qing Lin, Director of the Astronomical Research Center of Shanghai Science and Technology Museum, Bo Jiang, Sci-Fi Writer, Iris Long, Co-Curator of the “Cosmos Archaeology” Exhibition and 8 Students from MFA program in Creative Writing in Chinese, Fudan University
  • 8:40pm – Networking reception
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Event start time

  • China

    6:30PM

Participants

  •

    Bio

    Prof. Qing Lin

    Director of the Astronomical Research Center of Shanghai Science and Technology Museum

    Prof. Qing Lin, Ph.D and Professor of Astronomy, is the Director of the Astronomical Research Center of Shanghai Science and Technology Museum. He participated in the whole process of the construction of the Shanghai Astronomy Museum (a branch of the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum) and assumed the responsibility of the deputy commander of the construction headquarters and the director of the exhibition department of the Shanghai Astronomy Museum. Prof. Qing Lin graduated from the Department of Astronomy at Nanjing University. Previously, he served as the director of the Science Communication Office of the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. In 2004, he presided over the construction of the Shanghai Astronomical Museum (Sheshan) and served as the curator until 2013.

     

    Prof. Qing Lin has worked hard to promote the development of astronomical science communication and science education in Shanghai for more than 20 years, has published more than 5 popular science books, and frequently has given scientific reports to the public.

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    Bio

    Bo Jiang

    Sci-Fi Writer

    A prominent representative of the new generation of Chinese science fiction writers, he is the Vice President of the World Chinese Science Fiction Association and a council member of the China Science Writers Association. Born in 1978, he published his first work in 2003. To date, he has written over sixty short and medium-length science fiction stories and nine novels, with a total word count exceeding 3.6 million. His notable works include the “Heart of the Galaxy” trilogy, “Gate of the Machines”, and “On the Razor’s Edge.” His works have received numerous accolades, including the Chinese Science Fiction Nebula Award and the Galaxy Award.

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    Bio

    Iris Long

    Co-Curator of the “Cosmos Archaeology” Exhibition

    Iris Long is an independent curator, writer, and a Berggruen Fellow (2022-2023) and a Swissnex Fellow. She is also an amateur radio operator. Her research focuses on China’s technological infrastructure, the psychogeography of technology, and astronomy. Her research has been presented at the Warburg Institute, the University of London’s Institute of Advanced Studies, and the ZKM Center for Art and Media, among others. She also teaches part-time at Central Saint Martins, University of Arts, London.

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    Bio

    8 Students from MFA program in Creative Writing in Chinese

    Fudan University

    Siruo Cai

    Yubing Chen

    Yinjiang Liu

    Siyi Lou

    Qianyi Tong

    Shihao Xie

    Zichun Zhao

    Jiawen Zhu

About Cosmos Archaeology