At the opening ceremony of the 2021 China Science Fiction Convention on the evening of September 28th, China’s first Science Fiction Industrial Consortium was established in the Shougang Park Sci-fi Industry Clustering Area. The consortium was initiated by the Shougang Group and jointly established by 40 enterprises, universities and research institutions in the industry. The Shougang Group is the director unit and Zhongguancun KONE Technology Service is the secretariat unit.

The first members of the Science Fiction Industrial Consortium cover representative enterprises and institutions in the science fiction industry, including central enterprises such as Poly Pictures and Hualu North, innovative private technology enterprises such as Tencent and Huawei Hetu, and scientific research institutions such as Tsinghua University and the China Science Fiction Research Center, as well as hardware manufacturers such as BOE. In terms of regional coverage, the consortium includes well-known enterprises in first-tier cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen. 

The consortium is committed to linking the resources and talents of industries, universities, research institutes and financial institutions from all sectors to make joint efforts across borders and create a sci-fiction ecosystem along the whole industrial chain; it will take the Sci-fi Industry Clustering Area as the core, radiate through the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, serve the whole country and face the world, thereby promoting the comprehensive development of the science fiction industry.

A gathering place for “friends” in the science fiction industry built in an old factory building

With the strong support of the China Association for Science and Technology and Beijing Municipal Government, the China Science Fiction Convention has been held in Shougang Park of Shijingshan District since 2020. With the Science Fiction Convention as a carrier and platform, Shougang Park has started the construction of the first Sci-fi Industry Clustering Area in China, and will build the Science Fiction International Exchange Center, Science Fiction Technology Empowerment Center, Science Fiction Consumption Experience Center and Science Fiction Public Service Platform (“three centers and one platform”) over a total area of 71.7 hectares.

One year after the spatial planning was settled, with the support of the relevant departments, Shougang assigned special personnel and teams to promote the construction of the Sci-fi Industry Clustering Area. “Zhongguancun Science Fiction Industry Innovation Center” will be built in Jin’anqiao Building No. 1 by the end of this year, introducing a batch of fast-growing science fiction enterprises, displaying science fiction entrepreneurial products and building public incubators and public technology platforms. Shougang is leading the establishment of China’s first Science Fiction Industrial Consortium, and the Shougang Fund along with funds at the municipal and district levels have set up China’s first science fiction fund. Shougang has participated in the establishment of science fiction awards, introduced social capital, transformed the Blast Furnace Fantasy Park VR Immersive Experience Project and Tencent Digital Studio, and signed contracts with more than 20 science fiction enterprises such as Asia-Pacific Wenrong, Tiantu Wanjing and the Future Affairs Administration, and science fiction writers Zheng Jun, Fu Guofeng and other master studios, to attract them to settle in the clustering area. An office cluster of science fiction enterprises has begun to form in the area. 

Favorable science fiction resources and policies for Shougang Park

Various science fiction resources and policies have favored the Shougang Park Sci-fi Industry Clustering Area since its construction. The brand activities of the China Science Fiction Convention have been held in Shougang Park for two consecutive years, and a series of science fiction activities have been derived such as the Science Fiction Carnival and Beijing Science Fiction Film Week. Municipal and district governments have issued a series of industrial policies, allocated special funds to support the development of the park and issued the first science fiction talent introduction policy and first science fiction industry fund in China to support the development of the clustering area. The science fiction talent policy of Beijing clearly tilts toward the clustering area, and more than half of the enterprises in the first batch of science fiction talents have settled in Shougang Park. The Beijing Science Fiction Industry Investment Fund, which has raised RMB 456 million for the first time, will be put into use to fully leverage the construction of the clustering area.

In the future, as the director unit, the Shougang Group will work with the members of the Science Fiction Industry Consortium to promote international exchange and cooperation and personnel training, set up a science fiction public technology service platform and promote industry model popularization, scenario application innovation, industrial research and policy services; at the same time, it will provide excellent platform services for consortium members and enterprises in the park, expand the science fiction circles and contribute to the vigorous growth of China’s science fiction industry.