Back to 80: My Literary Life

In August, "Science and Literature" published Fang Minghua's second science fiction novel "Solar Catastrophe" as scheduled.

Different from the first article "Country Teacher", the author describes an apocalyptic world, where space, human beings, humanity, faith, and beliefs are vividly expressed in a short space of only 50,000 words.

As soon as the novel was published, it aroused praise from readers and magazine sales increased dramatically.

"Editor Yang, according to the latest statistics, the sales volume of this issue of the magazine has reached 150,000 copies, but it is still not enough. Xinhua bookstores from all over the country have called to request purchases." Tan Kai came in, looking happy.

Yang Xiao was calm and replied: "Then notify the printing house to continue printing."

"I have already called Director Wang to print another 100,000 copies."

"Okay, you've been working hard lately, Tan Kai. What's the feedback from readers?"

"It's very good, especially the article "Sun Catastrophe" written by Minghua. It is simply a rare masterpiece. Readers wrote in and praised it." Tan Kai said, paused and then said:

“And more importantly, the quantity and quality of submissions have greatly improved in recent times!”

This made Yang Xiao beam with joy.

As the saying goes, it is not spring when a single flower blooms, but when a hundred flowers bloom, the garden is full of spring.

If Fang Minghua is the one who brought science fiction back from the brink of death, but if we want science fiction to flourish again, we cannot rely on him alone.

"Editor Yang, read this novel." Tan Kai took out a manuscript from his briefcase and handed it to Yang Xiao.

"Read this."

"Don't Ask Me Where I'm From"? "

"Written by Muse?" Yang Xiao was a little surprised after reading it.

"Yes, Muse!"

Mushi is not an unknown person. He is an editor of "Wenhui Monthly". He has been writing science fiction novels since the late 1970s, such as "Strange Diver" and "Undersea Dinosaurs".

I stopped writing last year because of the "Pollution Clearance Movement", but I didn't expect to start writing again this year!

"Immediately arrange to publish it in next month's publication!" Yang Xiao said without hesitation.

"Old" writers are making a comeback, which is a good thing.

Of course, she hopes that young authors will join and inject fresh blood into the science fiction world.

What she didn't know was that thousands of miles away in Handan, a college student named Liu Cixin had already written a long novel.

Handan, North China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower.

In Dormitory 201 of the 1981 Boys' Dormitory Building of the Department of Hydropower Engineering, Liu Cixin was silently reading a draft of a novel she had written.

"China 2185".

It is about the year 2185. The female supreme governor who rules country C is only twenty-nine years old. By chance, another young man used computer simulation to create a thought entity that existed in virtual space.

This can be said to be a potential threat to the young supreme governor. The latter quickly built a country on the Internet through unlimited self-replication.

The people of this country are all copies of himself. Billions of ordinary people's ghosts threaten the real regime with radical ideas. An imminent war is about to bring the virtual world and the real world into conflict.

This is a long science fiction novel that he spent a whole semester in the library and worked hard to write at home during the summer vacation. He plans to directly submit it to "Science and Literature".

He read the manuscript for the last time, then stuffed it into his schoolbag and jumped out of bed to go to the post office outside the school. The dormitory door suddenly opened and a boy broke in. It was his good friend An Shaohua.

"Ci Xin, why are you going?" An Shaohua asked right away.

"I'm going to submit my manuscript to Science Literature and Art." Liu Cixin told the truth.

An Shaohua is his good friend and the only one who knows that he has written a long science fiction novel this semester. He even let him read the entire draft a few days ago.

Unexpectedly, An Shaohua heard this and said: "You are crazy! Don't you want to go to school? Don't you know that some people are still openly criticizing science fiction novels as selling some bourgeois and feudal rags?!"

After hearing what her friend said, Liu Cixin argued: "Now the country no longer talks about mental pollution, and isn't Minghua also openly writing science fiction novels?"

"I am now a great writer, and who do you think you are?!" An Shaohua sneered unceremoniously.

"Minghua now has a decisive influence in the domestic literary world and is known as an outstanding representative of young writers! Even if someone wants to blame someone, they have to weigh it carefully. As for you, an ordinary college student, just naming and criticizing can directly ruin your future. !”

Seeing his friend's stubborn silence, An Shaohua softened his tone and said, "Let's talk about this novel of yours. It actually writes about great men, some consuls, and China in the electronic world. Aren't you looking for death? Do you still remember that you are right? Criticism of the Star Wars movie?”

Liu Cixin seemed even more silent, but her eyes no longer had the stubbornness just now.

This American movie has not been publicly released in the mainland. He only read the movie introduction from a science fiction magazine. It is an epic space opera.

Just when he was eager to see the movie, he saw the man in the newspaper severely criticizing the movie.

"Many Western science fiction novels are about future societies. They speculate on the future world based on the interests of the bourgeoisie and the capitalist system... The future world they write about includes Star Wars, which has no scientific basis at all."

If I publish this novel, I wonder if it will arouse the other party's anger?

Why.

Months of hard work were in vain.

An Shaohua saw the change in his friend's expression and knew that he had listened to his words.

I feel quite sympathetic when I think that Liu Cixin has been unable to publish what she worked hard for nearly a semester to write.

He patted the other party's shoulder and comforted him: "I know you like to write science fiction, so you should wait until you graduate next year and return to your hometown Niangziguan before you start writing. By then you will already be a technician and have your own job. Even if you want to write now, Don’t write about China either!”

"What about this novel?" Liu Cixin couldn't help but ask.

"Let it go for now and wait until we see the situation in a few years."

Liu Cixin nodded silently.

An Shaohua turned around and left.

He came to Liu Cixin today to talk about this matter.

But what he didn't expect was that this novel was never published publicly again.

An Shaohua left, and Liu Cixin quietly stuffed her unpublished manuscript into the bottom of the box.

He sat on the bed, picked up a few newly released books of "Science and Literature", and flipped through the novels written by Fang Minghua and read them carefully.

He wasn't reading "Country Teacher" but the article "Catastrophe of the Sun", and a bold idea emerged in his mind.

In the novel, humans rekindle the dying sun and save the earth. What would humans do if the sun really went out?

There is only one way: mankind escapes collectively and escapes from the solar system to find a planet suitable for human survival.

So how to escape?

Like the protagonists in the novel flying in a spaceship?

However, the Earth is only 0.0000158 light-years away from the Sun, but Alpha Centauri, the closest star to the Earth, is also 4.2 light-years away!

According to Einstein's theory of relativity, it is impossible for matter to reach the speed of light. The Voyager 1 probe launched by the United States in 1976 traveled about 60,000 kilometers per hour. At this speed, it would take 17,571 years to fly out of the solar system and 74,000 years to reach Proxima Centauri. !

Even if it accelerates to a speed of 0.1 light-year, it will take 2,500 years. How can such a small spacecraft maintain the ecosystem without collapsing in such a long time?

Besides, how many spaceships are needed for the world’s billions of people?

But what if the Earth is used as a huge spaceship to escape with the Earth?

Liu Cixin was suddenly excited by this sudden idea and started thinking about it immediately.

The campus is bustling in autumn, and the cicadas on the trees outside the window are making people irritated.

But Liu Cixin, who was lying on the bed, could no longer hear this. His thoughts were already soaring in the vast universe.

Wander with the blue planet under your feet.

Yes, this novel is called "The Wandering Earth"