Spatiotemporal Explorations

Abstract

This article examines sociopolitical commentary in contemporary Chinese science fiction literature written by authors of the post-1980s generation. With a close reading of Hao Jingfang's 郝景芳 “Beijing zhedie” 北京折疊 (Folding Beijing, 2014) and Chen Qiufan's 陳楸帆 “Lijiang de yu'ermen” 麗江的魚兒們 (The Fish of Lijiang, 2006), the analysis focuses on how these works reflect the lived experience of ordinary urbanities in postmodern China and pays particular attention to the stories' engagement with the chronotope. This article argues that through the chronotope contemporary Chinese science fiction stories express unease about rapid transformation and visualize a divided Chinese society characterized by spatial disparity.