The old industrial past composed of furnace fire and sparks has been replaced by VR scenes and a metaverse park at a reclaimed steel plant in western Beijing.

The flourishing science fiction industry and its cutting-edge trends are highlighted at the week-long 2023 China Science Fiction Convention (CSFC) that was launched on Monday at Shougang Industrial Park in Shijingshan district, Beijing.

Serving as a platform for exchange and communication, the CSFC, an annual sci-fi extravaganza, has already been held for eight years. Notably, this is the first time the CSFC is included in the Zhongguancun Forum.

In 2020, the China Association for Science and Technology and Beijing Municipality signed a strategic cooperation agreement to establish the first sci-fi industrial cluster zone around Shougang Industrial Park, as China attaches great significance to scientific and technological innovation, and is seeing a boom in its sci-fi industry, according to Shi Lei, director of Shijingshan district's Science and Technology Commission.

Since then, Shougang Industrial Park has transformed from a steel-making plant into a new landmark featuring a sci-fi industry cluster, marking the rise of a sci-fi district in western Beijing.

As of May, nearly 100 sci-fi related enterprises had gathered in Shijingshan district to form a science fiction industrial development space anchored in "content creation, IP transformation, film and television special effects production, hardcore technology and immersive experience".

The district has also actively explored the construction and application of science fiction scenes based on 5G and XR technologies.

SoReal Metaverse Park in Shougang Industrial Park presents the refurbishment of a century-old historical and cultural site based on 5G and XR technologies. The park integrated catering, shopping, and entertainment, taking visitors on an immersive journey as if finding themselves in a sci-fi movie, according to Shijingshan Convergence Media Center.

The CSFC, featuring a digital life experience hub as well as pan science fiction industry experience, is set to cover various fields from XR-based film and television to aerospace.

"In the future, the government will strengthen the construction of the sci-fi industry complex, improve the whole industrial chain, support enterprises in joint technology application research and promote the research and implementation of science fiction-related technologies," Shi said.