Last November, thousands of diehard Chinese science-fiction fans thronged to Chengdu for the first ever AsiaCon, a high-profile convention that drew in writers and film-makers from Asia, Europe, the US and the Middle East. The mayor of the capital of Sichuan province gave his blessing against a digitised backdrop of a blue galaxy, space ships and distant planets. Other speeches celebrated how science and the future could be brought together in such a compelling genre. All in all, the world seemed a less apocalyptic place back then.

The Chengdu event marked a breakthrough moment for Chinese science fiction in what had already become a golden year for the genre. After years of suspicion and vilification, sci-fi has established itself as a rare focus of creative expression within the country, while also becoming something of a cultural calling card outside it. Last year saw the release of The Wandering Earth, China’s highest-grossing science-fiction film ever, in which the tale is told of a global catastrophe that brings nations together in an effort to save humanity.

Meanwhile, even as they opened their doors, the organisers of the Chengdu gathering were also thinking on a more global scale, eyeing a bid to host the World Science Fiction Convention in 2023. For those outside the sci-fi world, playing host to “WorldCon” — an annual affair that has been running for over 80 years and draws from a mainly North American and European fan base of sci-fi enthusiasts — might not mean very much.