"Hometown is an interesting word. Speaking of it, almost everyone will think of familiarity and security. But in such a vast country as China, people think of very different things when it comes to hometown. However, almost everyone links it to the national Spring Festival holiday.

"Long distance creates the longing for hometown. ... Sci-fi creates another kind of distance. When people really can go to live and work on the moon, they will long to go back to Earth-to their hometown-for Spring Festival, just like many young people working in big cities," she says.

Su Wanwen's story is inspired by a beautiful tourist spot in her hometown in coastal Fujian province.

"In my story, the tourist spot became intelligent. When you enter the building, what you can see on the screen is closely connected with your emotions. So the narrator, a young man struggling to pursue his dream, can't escape his emotions because he is lost in real life," Su says.

"Fujian is deeply influenced by the ocean. Young people are encouraged to go out of our hometown to venture into the unknown. But now times are changing so fast, so a lot of people may get lost or face a lot of pressure. Hometown then becomes an important place for them to find themselves or to restore their courage," she says.

A market of huge potential

The sci-fi gala has become a festival with growing appeal.

"We want to nurture it into a festival tradition for Chinese sci-fi fans," Ji says.

Besides, it is also a platform for the Future Affairs Administration to nurture young sci-fi writers with huge potential.

"Because our society changes so fast, people are eager and anxious to find possibilities about the future in sci-fi," Ji says. "And in China, many young writers pay close attention to science and technology. I believe if there will be another golden time for sci-fi then it will be in China," she says.

With the success of The Wandering Earth-with box-office takings of 3.8 billion yuan ($561 million) in two weeks-China may see a new wave of sci-fi interest.

"Now is a very good time for sci-fi in China, but a better time will come," Ji says.

Contact the writer at [email protected]