北京时间7月16日，2026年国家男排联赛美国站比赛迎来一场焦点战，中国队挑战世界排名第4的美国队。         Maya archaeological site in Cancun, Mexico Photo: VCG
Before becoming an award-winning science fiction writer, Baoshu was simply a fan fascinated by Hugo Award winner Liu Cixin's The Three-Body Problem. His desire to explore the universe created by the blockbuster trilogy led him to write The Redemption of Time (Remembrance of Earth's Past), a fan work that later became a published novel.
Years later, Baoshu has become one of the notable voices in Chinese science fiction. He was honored with the Mao Dun Newcomer Award this year, one of China's most prestigious literary awards for young writers. Established in 2015, the award recognizes outstanding writers and critics under the age of 45.
The award committee said his works have expanded the possibilities of science fiction through exploration of time, civilizations and the impact of technology on everyday life.
The honor adds to a growing list of achievements. Baoshu had previously won the Galaxy Award, China's equivalent of the Nebula Awards. His short story Tasting the Future Delicacy Three Times was a finalist for the Hugo Award for Best Short Story in 2024.
In his latest novel, The Sky of Kukulkan, published by New Star Press, Baoshu turns his fascination with the ancient Maya civilization into a story about humanity itself. The book is Baoshu's first major work after receiving the Mao Dun Newcomer Award.
Set during the final period of the Maya Classic era, the novel follows a fallen prince who, with the help of a priestess, gradually uncovers the secrets behind astronomical movements, unusual solar phenomena and the legend of the Feathered Serpent deity.
For Baoshu, the story is ultimately not only about the Maya, but also a reflection of humanity itself, its pursuit of knowledge and the universe, as well as the conflicts driven by human flaws.
"I think the most fascinating part of this story is that the Maya civilization is a microcosm of humanity itself," Baoshu told the Global Times. "It reflects mankind's journey to explore the universe and seek truth, while also showing how human weaknesses, such as greed and hostility, can lead to endless conflicts within society."
    Chinese sci-fi writer Baoshu Photo: Courtesy of New Star Press
The road to sci-fi
Born in 1980, Baoshu developed his passion for writing early. After moving to Haiyan, East China's Zhejiang Province, at the age of 6 with his parents, who worked in nuclear power construction, he spent much of his childhood reading science fiction and popular science books in local libraries.
As a primary school student, he began writing his own science fiction stories, although he said that his early works were immature.
His pen name, "Baoshu," has a much simpler origin. More than two decades ago, he chose it casually as an online username because he was a fan of Chinese martial arts novelist Jin Yong and created several usernames inspired by characters from Jin Yong's works. Most disappeared over time, but "Baoshu" remained.
After studying philosophy at Peking University, he continued writing short stories. His professional science fiction career began in 2010 while studying in Belgium, when his admiration for Liu Cixin's The Three-Body Problem inspired him to write the fan fiction novel The Redemption of Time (Remembrance of Earth's Past).
"His work has always set a benchmark for me, a standard I hope to approach even if it remains a distant goal," he said.
For Baoshu, The Redemption of Time (Remembrance of Earth's Past) was driven mainly by his love for Liu's fictional universe and his desire to explore the possibilities beyond the original trilogy.
"The world created by The Three-Body Problem is so rich and diverse that you feel there are many stories behind it that were not told," he said. 
"I wanted to express some of those possibilities in my own way."
    The cover of Baoshu's The Sky of Kukulkan. Photo: Courtesy of New Star Press
Sci-fi future
Baoshu said that, looking ahead, science fiction will continue expanding as technology changes society.
With technology such as artificial intelligence (AI) advancing at an unprecedented pace, the boundary between science fiction and reality is becoming increasingly blurred. Ideas once imagined only in novels are now entering everyday life, creating new questions and possibilities for writers to explore.
AI, for example, has created new creative opportunities and raised new questions about humanity's relationship with machines. But he noted that AI is not an entirely new topic for science fiction.
"Science fiction has been writing about AI for many years," he told the Global Times. "At different stages, new technologies emerge and connect with new social issues, creating new possibilities for storytelling."
He expects one major direction for future science fiction will be "science fiction realism" - stories that focus on how technology affects ordinary life, society and human emotions.
Another challenge for Chinese science fiction is finding deeper connections with local culture.
"Science fiction was once seen as a relatively foreign literary form because it originated overseas," Baoshu said. "But as the genre expands into deeper areas of social life, it also changes how we understand the past."
He said, as science fiction continues to gain popularity in China, the genre is creating more opportunities for new voices. 
Efforts to promote new forms of popular literature have given people from different backgrounds more opportunities to write and share their voices.
。经过三局争夺，中国男排以大比分0-3不敌对手，遭遇第8场失利。赛后，球迷在评论区一片吐槽。“大早上看得心慌，这到底是在干什么？”“打得太难看，这水平还是降级吧。”“大概率排名垫底了，目前的男女排让人看不到希望。”本赛季，国家男排联赛和亚锦赛是中国男排的备战重点。

二 | 国家男排联赛在亚锦赛之前进行，本次比赛也是中国队磨合阵容、摸底对手的最佳时机。不过，由于综合实力与欧美顶尖强队存在明显差距，中国男排的成绩难言满意。第一周临沂站比赛，中国队与日本、斯洛文尼亚、古巴等球队交手。首场对阵斯洛文尼亚，中国男排在领先情况下未能稳住攻防节奏，惨遭对手逆转。之后，中国男排又输给了乌克兰队和日本队。最后一轮，中国男排依靠集体力量顶住了古巴男排的冲击，以大比分3-0横扫对手，拿到本赛季首场胜利。第二周波兰站比赛，中国男排的对手为土耳其、比利时、阿根廷和德国。首场对阵土耳其队，中国队连丢三局输掉比赛。次战比利时男排，中国队与对手激战四局，最终以1-3告负。第三场对阵阿根廷男排，中国队依旧没能把握住机会，以0-3负于对手。最后一轮面对德国队，中国男排仍难求胜利，最终四战皆负结束本站比赛，总战绩为1胜7负。转战美国芝加哥，中国男排在阵容方面有所调整，老将季道帅入选，其他几名主攻为俞元泰、李磊、王滨等。此外，副攻的李咏臻、彭世坤，接应二传温子华和江川二传王鹤斌、自由人曲宗帅等均入围。本站比赛，中国男排的对手包括美国、法国、巴西等强队。

三 | 首轮，中国男排挑战东道主美国男排。此役，中国队主帅海宁主动变阵，首发为季道帅、胡翰林、王昌利、王鹤斌等，副攻彭世坤更是担当接应二传，这一奇招也引来球迷热议。美国男排雪藏多名主力，以替补出战。首局，中国队虽然在进攻、防守和拦网上拼尽全力，无奈整体实力与对手存在差距，以19-25先输一局。第二局，中国男排一传出现起伏，加之进攻效率下滑和失误，以13-25告负。第三局，场上局势未有明显改变，中国队以20-25输掉比赛。

四 | 看排球上咪咕视频！（罗掌柜）