第3章

LadiesandGentlemen,
Goodevening!
It’smygreathonortoreceivetheClarkeAwardforImaginationinServicetoSociety.Thankyou.
Thisawardisarewardforimagination,acapabilitythatshouldhavebeenexclusivetoGodbutwe,ashumanbeings,luckilyhave.Andthemeaningoftheexistenceofimaginationisfarbeyondourimagination.Ahistorianusedtosaythatthemainreasonwhyhumanbeingshavebeenabletosurpassotherspeciesonearthandbuildcivilizationsisthatweareabletocreatesomethinginourheadsthatdoesnotexistinreality.Inthefuture,whenartificialintelligencebecomessmarterthanus,imaginationmaybetheonlyadvantagewehaveoverAI.
Sciencefictionisaliterarygenrebasedonimagination.Andthefirstsci-fiworkstheimpressedmewerethosebyArthurC.Clarke.TogetherwithJulesVerneandGeorgeWells,ArthurClarkewasamongthefirstWesternmodernsci-fiwriterstoenterChina.Intheearly1980s,thetwonovels2001:ASpaceOdysseyandRendezvousWithRamawerepublishedinmycountry.Atthattime,theCulturalRevolutionjustcametoanend.Whiletheoldlifeandfaithhadcollapsed,thenewoneshadnotyetbeenestablished.Likeotheryoungpeople,Ifeltlostduringthatperiod.Thesetwobooks,forthefirsttime,however,broughtmyimaginationtolife.Mymindopeneduplikeneverbefore.Ifeltlikeanarrowstreamfinallyembracingthesea.AtmidnightwhenIfinishedreading2001:ASpaceOdyssey,Iwalkedoutofthehouseandstaredatthestarrysky.Iwasabletoseethegalaxy,thankstotheunpollutedskyofChinabackthen.Thatnight,inmyeyes,thestarryskylookednothinglikebefore.Forthefirsttimeinmylife,Iwasawedbythemagnitudeandmysteryofouruniverse.Thatfeelingwasreligious.Lateron,RendezvousWithRamastunnedmebyshowinghowimaginationcouldbuildalifelike,fantasticworld.ItwasArthurClarkewhobroughtmesuchfeelings,andthatbroughtmehereasasci-fiwriter.
Today,morethan30yearslater,itgraduallydawnsonmethatpeoplelikeme,whowereborninthe1960sinChina,areprobablytheluckiestpeopleinhumanhistory.Nogenerationislikeus,nogenerationhasbeenabletowitnesssuchtremendouschangesintheworldaroundus.Theworldwearelivingintodayiscompletelydifferentfromthatofourchildhood.Andsuchchangesaretakingplacewithevengreaterspeed.Chinaisahighlyfuturisticcountry.ItistruethatthefutureofChinamaybefullofchallengesandrisks,butneverhasthiscountrybeensoattractiveliketoday.Thisrealityprovidesfertilesoilforthegrowthofsciencefiction,whichisenjoyingunprecedentedattentioninthecountry.Asasci-fiauthorwhowasborninthe1960sinChina,I’mtheluckiestfromtheluckiestgeneration.
Istartedwritingsci-fibecauseIdecidedtoescapethedulllife,andtoreachout,withimagination,tothemysterioustimeandspacethatIcouldnevertrulyreach.ButthenIrealizedthattheworldaroundmebecamemoreandmorelikesciencefiction,andthisprocessisspeedingup.Futureislikeapouringrain.Itfallsrightonusevenbeforewehavetimetoopenanumbrella.Meanwhile,whensci-fibecomesreality,itwon’tbehailedasmagicalanymore,andthatfrustratesme.Sci-fiwillsoonbecomepartofourlives.TheonlythingIcando,istopushmyimaginationfurthertoevenmoredistanttimeandspacetohuntforthemysteriesofsci-fi.Asasci-fiauthor,Ithinkmyjobistowritethingsdownbeforetheygetreallyboring.
Thisbeingsaid,theworldismovinginthedirectionoppositetoClarke’spredictions.In2001:ASpaceOdyssey,intheyearof2001,whichhasalreadypassed,humanbeingshavebuiltmagnificentcitiesinspace,andestablishedpermanentcoloniesonthemoon,andhugenuclear-poweredspacecrafthavesailedtoSaturn.However,today,in2018,thewalkonthemoonhasbecomeadistantmemory.Andthefarthestreachofourmannedspaceflightsisjustaslongasthetwo-hourmileageofahigh-speedtrainpassingthroughmycity.Atthesametime,informationtechnologyisdevelopingatanunimaginablespeed.TheentireworldisconnectedviatheInternetandpeoplehavegraduallylosttheirinterestinspace,astheyfindthemselvesincreasinglycomfortableinthespacecreatedbyIT.Insteadofanexplorationoftherealspace,whichisfullofrealdifficulties,peoplenowjustprefertoexperiencingvirtualspacethroughVR.Justlikesomeonesaid,“YoupromisedmeMarscolonies,instead,IgotFacebook.”
Thisrealityisalsoreflectedinsciencefiction.ArthurClarke’smagnificentimaginationaboutspacehasgraduallyfadedaway.Peoplehavetakenbacktheireyesfromthestars.Inthesci-fiworkstoday,therearemoreimaginationabouthowweliveincyberutopiaordystopia.Writersfocusmoreonvariousproblemsweencounterinreality.TheimaginationofsciencefictionisabandoningthevastnessandprofoundnessthatArthurClarkeonceopenedup,insteadpeoplearenowembracingthenarrownessandintroversionofcyberpunk.
Asasci-fiwriter,IhavebeenstrivingtocontinueArthurClarke’simagination.Ibelievethattheboundlessspaceisstillthebestdirectionanddestinationforhumanimagination.Ihavealwaysbeenportrayingthemagnitudeandmysteriesoftheuniverse,interstellarexpeditions,andthelivesandcivilizationshappeningindistantworlds,eveniffortoday’ssci-fiwriters,thismayseemchildishorevenoutdated.ItsaysonArthurClarke’sepitaph,“Henevergrewup,butheneverstoppedgrowing.”
Manypeoplemisunderstandsci-fiastryingtopredictthefuture,butthisisnottrue.Itjustmakesalistofpossibilitiesofwhatmayhappeninthefuture,likedisplayingapileofcobblestonesofimaginationforpeopletoseeandplaywith.Sciencefictioncannevertellwhichpossiblefuturewillactuallybecometherealfuture.Thisisnotitsjob.It’salsobeyonditscapabilities.
Butonethingiscertain:inthelongrun,forallthesecountlesspossiblefutures,anyfuturewithoutspacetravelisgloomy,nomatterhowprosperousourownplanetbecomes.
Ilookforwardtothedaywhen,likethesci-fiworkswritingabouttheageofinformation,thoseaboutspacetravelfinallybecometheordinary.Bythen,Marsandtheasteroidbeltswillbeboringplacesandcountlesspeoplearebuildingahomeoverthere.Jupiteranditsmanysatelliteswillbetouristattractions.Theonlyobstaclepreventingpeoplefromgoingthereforgood,willbethehighprice.
Butevenatthattime,theuniverseisstillsomethingsobigthatevenourwildestimaginationfailstocatchitsedge.Andeventhecloseststarremainsoutofourreach.Thevastoceanofstarscanalwayscarryourinfiniteimagination.
Thankyouall.