科幻小說家想象中的北京 讀者並不陌生

Sunlight is so scarce that it is rationed based on economic class. Schools are so packed that the poorest parents must wait in line for days to secure spots for their children.

陽光稀缺，以至於要根據經濟階層進行配給。學校擁擠不堪，最窮的家長爲了讓自己的孩子有學上，得排隊等上好幾天。

Those are the grim scenes of Hao Jingfang’s “Folding Beijing,” a science-fiction novelette that won a Hugo Award in August, beating out Stephen King. The story is set in a futuristic Beijing, though many of its scenes seem grounded in the problems vexing Chinese society today.

這些可怕的場景出自郝景芳的中短篇科幻小說《北京摺疊》。8月，這部小說打敗斯蒂芬•金(Stephen King)，贏得了一項雨果獎(Hugo Award)。故事以未來的北京爲背景，但很多情景似乎源自困擾當今中國社會的問題。

Ms. Hao, 32, is the first Chinese woman to win a Hugo, conferred by the World Science Fiction Society. Last year, the Hugo for best novel went to the Chinese writer Liu Cixin, making him the first Asian winner.

32歲的郝景芳是首位獲得世界科幻協會(World Science Fiction Society)頒發的雨果獎的中國女性。去年，中國作家劉慈欣獲得最佳小說雨果獎，成爲首位亞洲獲獎者。

In an interview at a Beijing cafe, Ms. Hao, who holds a day job as an economics researcher at the China Development Research Foundation, reflected on the line between reality and fiction, giving voice to “invisible people” and how she seeks inspiration for her stories.

在北京的一家咖啡館接受採訪時，現在中國發展研究基金會從事全職工作、擔任經濟研究員的郝景芳思考了真實與虛幻之間的界線，表達了對“隱形人”的態度，以及她是如何爲自己的故事尋找靈感的。

Science fiction has taken off in China in recent years, and more and more Chinese authors are gaining international recognition for their work. What do you think makes Chinese science fiction unique?

近年來，科幻小說在中國大受歡迎，越來越多的中國作家憑藉作品獲得國際認可。你認爲是什麼讓中國的科幻小說獨具一格？

Some Chinese science fiction reads like nonfiction with a few sci-fi elements mixed in. Chinese science fiction isn’t necessarily about the universe, the future, artificial intelligence or technology. It might be about the present or even ancient Chinese history.

中國的一些科幻小說讀起來像是夾帶着一些科幻元素的紀實作品。中國的科幻小說不一定是關於宇宙、未來、人工智能或科技。它可能是關於中國的當下甚至古代歷史。

Your writing is full of everyday people who face grueling decisions. In “Folding Beijing,” you depict Lao Dao, a sanitation worker who resorts to illicit work to pay for his daughter’s education. How do you choose your characters?

你的作品裏有許多面臨着令人筋疲力盡的決定的普通人。在《北京摺疊》中，你筆下的老刀是一個爲了女兒的學費而訴諸非法工作的垃圾工。你是怎麼選擇角色的？

I like characters with conflicting characteristics. Some are controversial, and some face challenges. I think good characters are people who are hard to judge, who are not pure saints or demons.

我喜歡帶有衝突特徵的角色。有的有爭議，有的面臨挑戰。我認爲好角色不是純聖人或魔鬼，而是那些難以判斷的人。

In “Folding Beijing,” you portray a deeply stratified society in which even mingling among economic classes is forbidden. Why focus on inequality?

在《北京摺疊》中，你描述了一個嚴重分化成不同階層的社會，在這個社會裏，連經濟階層之間的結合都是禁止的。你爲什麼關注不平等問題？

We see from history that, at the beginning of every new empire, equality was one of people’s aspirations, but as the empire grew older, inequality appeared again, and people had to overthrow the empire and start all over again. It seems even now there isn’t an ideal solution. Inequality will continue to be a challenge for human society in the future.

我們從歷史中會發現，在每一個新帝國建立之初，平等都是民衆的願望之一，但隨着帝國的發展，不平等現象再次出現，人們不得不推翻帝國，從頭再來。即便是現在，似乎也沒有一個完美的解決辦法。未來，不平等仍將是人類社會的一個挑戰。

In Beijing, the problem of inequality is particularly visible, with migrant workers working each day next to multimillionaires. To what extent was the story based on problems facing people today?

在北京，不平等問題特別明顯，百萬富翁旁邊每天干活的就是農民工。這個故事在多大程度上是建立在今天的人們面臨的問題之上的？

I talk about the future in the story, but the inspiration is current life. In today’s society, although people might live in the same city, their lives are very different, and they have little connection to one another. I wanted to show this in the story in a more direct way — the idea that people live together but can’t see one another. I want people to realize that there are so many invisible people in their lives. And also that their decisions, no matter how harmless or small they may seem, might have a huge and irreversible impact on other people’s lives.

我在故事裏說的是未來，但靈感是當前的生活。在當今社會，儘管人們可能生活在同一座城市，但各自的生活千差萬別，彼此之間幾乎沒什麼聯繫。在這個故事裏，我想以一種更直接的方式表現這一點——人們共同生活卻看不到對方。我想讓人們意識到，他們的生活中有那麼多隱形人。並且他們的決定，不管看上去多麼無害，多麼無足輕重，都可能會給其他人的生活帶來不可逆轉的重大影響。

You have a deep interest in Chinese history. What do you think defines the modern era in China?

你對中國歷史興趣濃厚。你覺得中國的現代時期是由什麼來定義的？

I think now is a time of free thought if you look across the broader picture of thousands of years of Chinese history. Thirty years ago, culture and tradition were shattered during the Cultural Revolution. Our generation doesn’t have the same connection to past traditions, and we’ve absorbed so much from Western culture, which is popular.

我認爲如果縱觀中國數千年的歷史，現在是一個思想自由的時代。30年前，文化和傳統在文革期間遭到破壞。我們這一代和過去的傳統沒有同樣的聯繫，我們從備受歡迎的西方文化中吸收了很多。

That has advantages and disadvantages. The bad side is that foreign culture doesn’t have its roots in China, so no matter how much we learn about it, it’s not ours. We don’t know much about traditional culture, which means we are lost. The good side is that we don’t have traditional burdens and are eager to learn unfamiliar things. It’s a time full of uncertainty and potential, and nobody knows where we’re heading.

這有利也有弊。不好的一面是外國文化在中國沒有根基，因此不管我們學到了多少，它都不是我們的。我們對傳統文化的瞭解也不多，這意味着我們迷失了自己。好的方面是我們沒有傳統的負擔，渴望學習不熟悉的事物。這是一個充滿不確定性和可能性的時代，沒人知道我們將走向何方。