Narratives of the future play an important role in shaping our reality. Depending on the point of view from which they are crafted, they can describe hopes and fears of citizens, the political project of the ruling classes, or can offer alternatives to the status quo. In this episode of The Sound of Economics, Giuseppe Porcaro and Alicia García-Herrero are joined by LYU Guangzhao, who helped navigate some of China’s science fictions works and these visions of the future.

Artwork and science fictions mentioned:

•    China 2098 artwork by FAN Wennan

•    Waste Tide by CHEN Qiufan

•    AI 2041 by Kai-Fu Lee and CHEN Qiufan

•    My Country Does Not Dream by HAN Song

•    Ether by ZHANG Ran

•    Silent City by MA Boyong

This episode is part of the ZhōngHuá Mundus series of The Sound of Economics.

ZhōngHuá Mundus is a newsletter by Bruegel, bringing you monthly analysis of China in the world, as seen from Europe. Sign up now to receive it in your mailbox!