Presentation ✷ 20.09, 19:15 – 20:00, Indecis artist run, Bastion 3, Timișoara
On Friday, September 20, join us at Cozzzmonautica for an exploration of China’s growing interest in Mars, examining how this new frontier might reshape Chinese culture and identity. In this talk by Xueting C. Ni, we’ll delve into the role of Mars in Chinese science fiction and mythology, and consider how the country’s long history of exploration, international investment, and migration could influence future Martian settlement.
We’ll also discuss how China’s unique environmental and cultural values may be challenged or transformed by life on Mars, posing intriguing questions about the future of Chinese identity.
Don’t forget your radiation suits — and your chopsticks!
Xueting C. Ni is a writer, speaker, curator, and literary translator. She has written extensively on Chinese culture for a decade and a half, working with companies, institutions, and festivals, to help improve understanding of China’s heritage, culture, and innovation. She is the author of From Kuan Yin to Chairman Mao: An Essential Guide to Chinese Deities (Weiser Books) and Chinese Myths (Amber Books). Her curated collection Sinopticon: A Celebration of Chinese Science Fiction (Solaris), won Best Anthology at the BFS Awards, 2022. Her new collection Sinophagia: A Celebration of Chinese Horror (Solaris), will be published in September 2024. She is currently working on a book on wuxia culture and various other projects.
Cover photo: A mock astronaut walks in the Gobi Desert near the C-Space Project Mars simulation base outside Jinchang, Northwest China’s Gansu Province, in April, 2018. Photo: VCG