Writing the future of feelings

Last month, Wang Weilian, 43, won the 21st Baihua Literature Award in the science fiction category for the short story Yige Xiezuo Biaoyanzhe De Zuihou Aiqing (literally, The Last Love of a Writing Performer). He shared the honor with writers Baoshu (Dujia Zhou, or Vacation Week) and Jia Yu (Xiaoshi De Zhenxiang, or Vanishing Truth).

In Wang's imagined future, writing is no longer a spontaneous act of creation but a cultural heritage performance. In this world, humans use technology to remove negative emotions, including those tied to romantic relationships. Yet, one "writer "still longs to experience genuine love untouched by technology.

The work incisively explores the spiritual complexities of the technological age, highlighting that the quest for self-existence and love is the inalienable essence of the human soul, the award jury says.

Wang explains that the story is actually part of an unfinished novel that he began about 10 years ago when he sensed the changing trend of "our cultural ecology". He sensed changes not only in how literature and art were produced but also in how readers received them.

"I initially approached the idea with irony, imagining that future writers would become performers in a cultural heritage museum," Wang says. "Few understood it then, but with advancing AI, it now seems possible."

A decade has passed since Wang first conceived the story, during which China's science fiction scene flourished. What was once a niche genre has gained wide recognition, drawing writers from diverse backgrounds and resonating with readers both at home and abroad. Writers from all walks of life create science fiction to reflect on reality and imagine the possibilities of the future based on the present.