论文资料
3.1 Analysis of Folding Beijing
As the title says, it is an imaginative story about a city that literally folds and rotates every day. The city is divided into 3 parts, but only one of them stays above the surface at any point; the other 2 fold up and go underground. The three spaces are inhabited by three social classes that get to take turns to be above ground. The author did not write much about how this kind of "folding" is achieved but concentrated on people's lives. Readers can gain insight into the perspectives of people in each of three very different Beijings which make the parallels with our real-life society become clear. The heart-wrenching tale vividly illustrates how the scale of people’s dreams can differ exponentially, and how the few at the top sit comfortably on a throne crafted from the misery of the many. This future city, a technological marvel, has a strict caste system, which the reader sees through the eyes of one waste worker, who’s willing to flout the law in order to try to earn some money to improve his adopted daughter’s future. As an East-focused science fiction, it includes sci-fi of trash, super-dense cities and weird city structures.
The hero Lao Dao, a humble man who works in a waste processing plant in “Third Space” Beijing, sorting recyclable trash, finds a bottle with a message offering Lao Dao a fortune, to take a message from a man in Second Space to a woman he loves who lives in First Space. Travel between the three areas is dangerous and illegal, but Lao Dao, desperate to earn enough money to pay for his young daughter’s education at a decent school, is determined to make the trip.
As the story unfolds, it becomes apparent that Beijing literally folds and unfolds as well: the city has been completely rebuilt, with huge sections of ground that turn upside down every 24 hours. The inhabitants of each space are put into a drugged sleep while their part of the city folds up and disappears underground. This increases Beijing’s ability to support a large population and also increases the physical and emotional separation between people of different classes. First Space has by far the lowest population and most of the wealth; second Space consists of white collars, while Third Space literally takes care of the trash.
The setting is a clear symbol of the economic and social differences between the classes and the lack of fairness in the way economic benefits and even life itself have been parceled out. Visually, the shifting skyscrapers of ‘Folding Beijing’ brought to mind a dark and desperate picture, but the mechanics of this scenario are all human. With such a dramatic setting, the story itself is far more understated than one might expect — even the exciting scenes have a quietness to them, and every time the tension ramps up it soon ramps right back down again. Rather than pursue a more dramatic story, Hao Jingfan chose to focus on the domestic details of life. As she mentions in her interview with Uncanny Magazine, “The characters themselves care more about things that touch their daily lives: family, love, power, and wealth, but a reader can see the fundamental inequity of their world.”
It is a story of social inequality and lack of mobility with some cleverly presented metaphors and images, grappling with some weighty issues but humanising them with an engaging lead character and beautiful prose. The use of unclear economic terminology justifies inequality and the tacit acceptance of it by elites and the middle class. The story grappled with some very interesting notions of class, the issues of overpopulation, and perhaps even gender. It’s a thought-provoking story that melds well with the unique setting, and illustrates human nature in action, as well as some larger truths. It is full of vivid descriptions and a unique world. It addresses a social and economic problem that needs to be dealt with sooner rather than later, and is certainly not confined to China.
As the title says, it is an imaginative story about a city that literally folds and rotates every day. The city is divided into 3 parts, but only one of them stays above the surface at any point; the other 2 fold up and go underground. The three spaces are inhabited by three social classes that get to take turns to be above ground. The author did not write much about how this kind of "folding" is achieved but concentrated on people's lives. Readers can gain insight into the perspectives of people in each of three very different Beijings which make the parallels with our real-life society become clear. The heart-wrenching tale vividly illustrates how the scale of people’s dreams can differ exponentially, and how the few at the top sit comfortably on a throne crafted from the misery of the many. This future city, a technological marvel, has a strict caste system, which the reader sees through the eyes of one waste worker, who’s willing to flout the law in order to try to earn some money to improve his adopted daughter’s future. As an East-focused science fiction, it includes sci-fi of trash, super-dense cities and weird city structures.
The hero Lao Dao, a humble man who works in a waste processing plant in “Third Space” Beijing, sorting recyclable trash, finds a bottle with a message offering Lao Dao a fortune, to take a message from a man in Second Space to a woman he loves who lives in First Space. Travel between the three areas is dangerous and illegal, but Lao Dao, desperate to earn enough money to pay for his young daughter’s education at a decent school, is determined to make the trip.
As the story unfolds, it becomes apparent that Beijing literally folds and unfolds as well: the city has been completely rebuilt, with huge sections of ground that turn upside down every 24 hours. The inhabitants of each space are put into a drugged sleep while their part of the city folds up and disappears underground. This increases Beijing’s ability to support a large population and also increases the physical and emotional separation between people of different classes. First Space has by far the lowest population and most of the wealth; second Space consists of white collars, while Third Space literally takes care of the trash.
The setting is a clear symbol of the economic and social differences between the classes and the lack of fairness in the way economic benefits and even life itself have been parceled out. Visually, the shifting skyscrapers of ‘Folding Beijing’ brought to mind a dark and desperate picture, but the mechanics of this scenario are all human. With such a dramatic setting, the story itself is far more understated than one might expect — even the exciting scenes have a quietness to them, and every time the tension ramps up it soon ramps right back down again. Rather than pursue a more dramatic story, Hao Jingfan chose to focus on the domestic details of life. As she mentions in her interview with Uncanny Magazine, “The characters themselves care more about things that touch their daily lives: family, love, power, and wealth, but a reader can see the fundamental inequity of their world.”
It is a story of social inequality and lack of mobility with some cleverly presented metaphors and images, grappling with some weighty issues but humanising them with an engaging lead character and beautiful prose. The use of unclear economic terminology justifies inequality and the tacit acceptance of it by elites and the middle class. The story grappled with some very interesting notions of class, the issues of overpopulation, and perhaps even gender. It’s a thought-provoking story that melds well with the unique setting, and illustrates human nature in action, as well as some larger truths. It is full of vivid descriptions and a unique world. It addresses a social and economic problem that needs to be dealt with sooner rather than later, and is certainly not confined to China.
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