@MichMae99 11 October 2020 more from that month

About life and humanity *Invisible Planets* is an interesting and varied anthology of thirteen speculative short fiction stories and three essays by seven contemporary Chinese authors, translated into English by Ken Liu. As Liu mentions in the Introduction, several of these stories have won U.S. awards (most notably the 2016 Hugo Award for best novelette, given to Hao Jingfang’s Folding Beijing) and have been included in “Year’s Best” anthologies. Chinese fantasy and science fiction is richly diverse, and this collection amply proves that. While there is political commentary in some of these stories, it would be, as Liu comments, doing these works a disservice to assume that they can be reduced to metaphors about Chinese politics. These stories offer insights not just into Chinese thought and culture, but about life and humanity generally, which is what the best science fiction and fantasy does.

Photo source:https://www.google.com/search?q=Humanity&client=ms-android-huawei-rev1&hl=fil&prmd=ivn&sxsrf=ALeKk03ma6s5FWefDlZb_GS31csQ7UuXRA:1602452812169&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjgw431wa3sAhWmF6YKHQ4OBJ4Q_AUoAXoECB0QAQ&biw=424&bih=779#imgrc=Uyt9UqJ1Ep6fkM “The Year of the Rat” by Chen Qiufan. Genetically engineered rats, rodents of unusual size and intelligence, and programmed with certain behaviors (like walking upright), are exported from China as luxury pets. When a mass escape of rats from their farms occurs ― whether by accident or as a political ploy ― and the rats’ genetic limitations on reproduction begin to break down, they create a threat to the country. Unemployed college students, like the narrator, are enlisted to hunt and kill the Neorats. But the hunting and the killing turn out to be more difficult than expected: the rats’ intelligence makes them difficult to trap, and some of the students begin to question the morality of the cause. Among other things, this story explores how our ideas and perceptions can be manipulated, whether by rats, love interests, or hidden political powers.

Photo source:https://www.google.com/search?q=Humanity&client=ms-android-huawei-rev1&hl=fil&prmd=ivn&sxsrf=ALeKk03ma6s5FWefDlZb_GS31csQ7UuXRA:1602452812169&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjgw431wa3sAhWmF6YKHQ4OBJ4Q_AUoAXoECB0QAQ&biw=424&bih=779#imgrc=3z_ZTgFU7nzoWM&imgdii=aPjnmOsr-TKceM “The Fish of Lijiang” by Chen Qiufan. A workaholic office worker, stressed and burned out, is placed on a mandatory two-week leave and sent to the beautiful historic city of Lijiang, now a center for rehabilitation. He meets a girl there and they begin spending time together, seeing the sights, playing drinking games, listening to strange Naxi music, watching the red fish hover in the waterways, struggling against the current to maintain their positions. The girl opens the narrator’s eyes to some high tech tricks that are being foisted on unsuspecting workers. The class themes in “The Fish of Lijiang” are echoed in the later story Folding Beijing, which I felt handled that theme more creatively, but the repeated symbol of the fish was thought-provoking. “The Flower of Shazui” by Chen Qiufan. An engineer, on the run from a failed criminal scheme at his prior job, has made a new life in Shazui Village, selling black market augmented-reality software and “body films,” a thin film applied to people’s bodies that displays words or pictures. When Snow Lotus, a lovely high class prostitute, needs his services one day for a malfunction in her body film, he finds out about the troubles in her life and decides to use his high tech skills to assist her. This story, set in an alternate reality version of the Shenzhen Bay area, juxtaposes hard science fiction and high tech with the underside of society and its desperate and very human problems. “A Hundred Ghosts Parade Tonight” by Xia Jia. Ning was left on the steps of a temple as a baby, and was picked up and adopted by the ghosts who dwell on Ghost Street, a long, narrow street inhabited only by the ghosts ― and Ning, who loves them. Ghost Street is a defunct tourist attraction: no tourists come any more, and the buildings are falling to pieces. Gradually it becomes apparent that Ghost Street is a type of Westworld amusement park: the souls of real people have been fused into mechanical bodies that mimic some of the characteristics of actual ghosts: they cannot stand direct sunlight, which burns them irreparably; they can remove their heads and put them back on again. Ning thinks he is the only living being on Ghost Street, but it may be that there is something artificial about Ning as well. “A Hundred Ghosts Parade Tonight” is a lovely, bittersweet tale, enhanced by Xia Jia’s wonderful imagery. This is a story that confused me at first (I initially missed the shift from fantasy to science fiction), but once I understood the premise, I reread it with tremendous pleasure. It’s a magical but sad world, left behind in society’s unceasing search for newer, more sensational amusements. “Tongtong’s Summer” by Xia Jia. Tongtong’s Grandpa, who can no longer live on his own, moves in with her family. Grandpa grumpily resists getting a caretaker, so Tongtong’s father decides to try out a prototype robot caregiver, which they call Ah Fu. One day Tongtong begins conversing with Ah Fu, and finds out that the robot is remotely controlled by Wang, a university student working in R&D at the robot manufacturer’s facilities. Grandpa’s temper continues to worsen, until Wang comes up with a creative solution. This is a fairly straightforward tale that sensitively explores the needs and concerns of the elderly in a near-future science fictional setting. I was especially moved by the author’s note at the end, dedicating this story to “all the grandmas and grandpas who, each morning, can be seen in parks practicing tai chi, twirling swords, singing opera, dancing … You made me understand that living with an awareness of the closeness of death is nothing to be afraid of.”