Techies and Trekkies Unite! Beijing's Shougang Industrial Park to Become "Sci-Fi City"

Whereas Shenzhen might be China’s hub of all things science reality, Beijing’s Shougang Industrial Park is gearing up to be the country’s hub of all things science fiction. As we reported last week, the China Association for Science and Technology hosted their annual China Science Fiction Convention, Nov 1-2, during which the Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission announced that they are embarking on a ten-year plan to build a “sci-fi city” in the former steelworks area. 

But what exactly is a sci-fi city? Well, it’s something like a Silicon Valley start-up incubator, that takes its inspiration and technology development cues from sci-fi mediums such as books, films, television, and video games, resulting in what could only be described as a hybrid incubator-artist-in-residence program. For instance, at the event, Sun Lijun, vice-president of Beijing Film Academy, debuted his studio’s newest interactive film, Harvest, which is billed as “the world’s first 8K resolution water-and-ink animation.” 

According to Sun, the production process utilized “interactive filming and screening techniques” to achieve multiple narrative arcs which will enable audiences to enjoy a “multi-sensory audiovisual experience,” with audience members participating in the final scenes of the film. Simply put, the goal is to bring whatever a sci-fi writer dreams up on the page into the real-world through a mix of VR and AI technologies, digital production, and next-generation graphic image rendering techniques.

Also present at the conference was Tong Xin, principal research manager at the Internet Graphics Group of Microsoft Asia, who spoke about the inherent limitations and difficulties of producing sci-fi films. According to Tong, the financial costs of shooting with motion capture equipment, coupled with design and data processing constraints creates a chasm between what a sci-fi auteur wants to shoot, and what will actually end up on a screen. To that end, it’s Tong’s hope that advancements in graphic design tools and motion graphic technology – advancements that are made at the Shougang Sci-Fi City, of course – will usher in a new era of how sci-fi content is created, shared, and consumed.

And what about all the non-techies or sci-fi writers in Beijing? Well, the city has plans for you too, as it was reported that the Shougang Industrial Park will be getting a sci-fi-themed amusement park as well, set to open by the end of 2021. 

In the meantime, however, Shougang Industrial Park will actually host a number of events during the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, including snowboarding, where the factory’s former cooling towers will be reimagined as ramps.

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Images: theglobeandmail.com, english.gov.cn, bhaskarhindi.com, globaltimes.cn