For a few days in October 2023, the capital of the science fiction world was Chengdu, China . Fans traveled from around the world as Worldcon, sci-fi ’s biggest annual event, was held in the country for the first time . It was a rare moment when Chinese and international fans could get together to celebrate the arts without worrying about the increasingly fraught politics of China’s relationship with the West or Beijing’s tightening grip on expression .