Snake person

Author: Pan Jiazheng
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-09-01
Features: Pan Jiazheng Academician is a renowned Chinese water conservancy engineering expert, a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. He has dedicated his life to the cause of water conservancy, with his footsteps spanning the vast landscapes and towering mountains of China. He has participated in and led numerous large-scale water conservancy projects that have gained fame both domestically and internationally. At the age of over seventy, he took a different path, writing science fiction novels, which was indeed something I had never anticipated. When I faced a stack of manuscripts written in his elegant calligraphy, a sense of astonishment and admiration arose within me. Pan Academician asked me to write a preface for his collection of works, but I truly felt unworthy of the task. Have you not seen that those who write prefaces nowadays are either illustrious authorities or pioneers in their respective fields? Although I consider myself an avid reader, novels are naturally my favorite genre. From my childhood, I was fascinated by novels like Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Water Margin, which are filled with loyalty and chivalry. In middle school, I read extensively from the New Literature Movement after the May Fourth Movement, such as the works of Lu Xun, Ba Jin, and Mao Dun, as well as translated novels from the Soviet Union after the liberation. However, I would read them and then set them aside, never gaining any artistic insight or developing a passion for writing. This "half-understanding" reading method was often reprimanded by my elders as "reading idle books." From this, it is clear that I am not qualified to write a preface for a novel, let alone a science fiction one. After much hesitation, I finally came up with a relatively honest approach: to share my limited views on science fiction novels as a "light appetizer" (an entrée in Western cuisine) before the readers dive into the main course. If they find it appealing, they can enjoy a small taste; otherwise, they can skip straight to the main content. Although I have never written a novel, from the perspective of a reader, I deeply understand how difficult it is to write one. An author must not only have rich life experience and a sharp, penetrating gaze to understand society and all kinds of people but also meticulous planning, a dramatic plot, and suspense to keep readers hooked, making them eager to continue reading. I believe writing science fiction novels is even more challenging, as it requires not only the general creative and literary skills of a novel but also extensive scientific knowledge and a highly imaginative ability. Thus, it can be said to be a combination of scientific phenomena and literary art, a crystallization of realism and romanticism. Generally, science is based on facts and experiments, adhering strictly to the deduction of mathematical logic, which often gives it a rigid and dull impression. However, throughout human history, science has sometimes required bold hypotheses and assumptions. Take, for example, the early 20th-century debate over the particle and wave theories of light, as well as the 1950s' hypothesis of the double helix structure of DNA. Science fiction goes even further, offering more imaginative space and speculation. The famous French science fiction writer Jules Verne, with his works like Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and The Children of Captain Grant, has captivated generations of middle and high school students, playing an immeasurable role in fostering their spirit of scientific exploration. Of course, science fiction novels are not the same as fantasy or magical novels, which are purely speculative, such as the Chinese fantasy novel The Investiture of the Gods or the American blockbuster The Lord of the Rings. Although their plots are intricate and engaging, their core descriptions revolve around non-scientific "mystical forces." In my opinion, such novels and films are generally recreational and leisure-oriented. After a day of work and life, readers can use them to relax their minds. However, if they take them as truth or try to imitate them, they will inevitably go astray. In short, science fiction can be seen as a new "compound" formed by arranging the "elements" of science in a "non-conventional order." Its "building blocks" should be rational and scientific, but its development and deduction transcend the conventional norms of current science, being futuristic and even highly imaginative. This is my limited understanding of science fiction, and naturally, the novels written based on this foundation are science fiction novels. I believe that it is highly beneficial for cultivating young people's love for science, courage to innovate, and pioneering spirit. And for adult scientists and engineers, is it not also an inspiration and motivation? As people age, they often become confined to their familiar fields due to accumulated experience in a particular area, and once they step out of their "line," they may feel aimless. Pan Academician is a renowned engineering and technology expert with profound knowledge and a successful career. While continuing to contribute to China's water conservancy projects, he has also a "second front," writing science fiction novels and inspiring the younger generation. Is this not a model that all scientists and engineers can emulate?