Gisele Sanchez - Jan 23 Reading Response

Ken Liu- Introduction

    I am not an avid reader of science fiction, so having a "guide" by the author about how to approach Chinese science fiction in particular was really helpful. While I was reading Ken Liu's introduction, I started to think about the Chinese premodern strange tales are often portrayed as representations of societal fears and insecurities that otherwise went unspoken. I thought the same might be possible for modern Chinese science fiction. However, something Liu mentions is that rather than boxing in Chinese science fiction as a commentary on Chinese society alone, or the Western perspective of Chinese society, Chinese science fiction should be read and analyzed as literature that is speaking to the world as a whole. I hadn't realized how analyzing foreign literature only within the reach of its originating country innately applies a kind of restraint on the narratives. 

Xia Jia- Tongtong's Summer

    I thought of my own childhood alongside Tongtong's descriptions of how she spent her days in Summer, and for that reason, "Tongtong's Summer" felt less threatening than other science fiction stories involving robots that are eerily similar to humans. The final scene was especially touching for me; even though the initial image of a teddy bear's chest rising and falling with life was a bit unnerving, after a while I found the idea of Tongtong caring for her grandfather in her own way was a very sweet sentiment. Considering technology is often a point of contention between the older and younger generations, this story alongside the author's note at the end brought the two sides of life nicely together even in a visibly changing world. 

Hao Jingfang- Folding Beijing

    Reading this story felt like the dystopian novels I used to love as a preteen, and as a result I kept waiting for a familiar revolution to happen. In the end I guess what made this story hit so hard was that nothing did happen, instead, despite the big reveal of a broken and strategically manufactured system that kept the poor poor and the rich rich—life went on as it had. There too seems to be a prioritization of human relationships and love over status which I found interesting.