Take a look around Haidian and it's easy to see that China is crawling with geeks. However, these folks just spent too much time studying too hard at their tiger mother's behest. They didn't geek up the right way -- by reading too much Asimov and Herbert and watching too much Star Trek. But China's science fiction tradition stretches way back -- Lu Xun translated some sci-fi into Chinese during his stint in Japan. Han Song is part of a new generation of China's original sci-fi writers. We peer into his world...

What made you decide to participate in this year’s BILF?

Because they got in touch with me and invited me. Also, I think it’s a great event. You can share literary experiences with different people, especially experiences that are a little unconventional.

What do you think is an “unconventional” literary experience?

Unconventional means on the boundaries, not writing for the mainstream and not being acknowledged by the mainstream. I would say a lot of the things I write are pretty unconventional.

What kind of experiences are you planning to share with BILF audiences?

I want to share the experience of fear. Living in fear.

Whose fear? Yours or other people’s?

It’s my fear and other people’s. Living in fear, being fearful of the past and the future. There’s so much of it. There’s no control over fate, and there’s no sense of certainty towards life. People are like a screw in a machine. They’re always afraid the machine’s going to break, because that would mean the end of the line for the screw, too. There’s no way to be your own person. Chinese people feel this topic keenly, of course. But at the same time, it exists all over the world. Before the economic crisis, no one imagined it could happen, but it did. It was terrifying. Then there are atomic weapons. Then there’s the development of technology, which gives one person the tools to paralyze the whole of civilization.

See Han Song and a host of great authors at this year’s BILF, Mar. 4-18. Stayed tuned to CW for schedules.