Event

When Sci-Fi Meets Brain Science: Baoshu Discusses New Book with Ge Jianqiao

Date: September 12, 2025
Location: CITIC Bookstore, Sanlitun, Chaoyang District, Beijing
Discussion: 6:30–8pm
Language: Chinese

In You Are Already in the Future (你已生活在未来), Baoshu imagines a near-future where intelligence augmentation, mind uploading, long-term hibernation, bionics, and the metaverse are everyday realities. With these advances, education, careers, relationships, and even life and death undergo profound change. Yet, what challenges still confront humanity in this utopia?

Brain scientist and sci-fi enthusiast GE Jianqiao will explore the prospects of cognitive technologies and reflect on the role of science fiction for scientists, writers, and the public in an age of rapid acceleration. By envisioning technology’s impact on cognition, culture, morality, and meaning, might we come closer to the truth of human life? Several works in Baoshu’s new book were written with support from the Berggruen fellowship program; both speakers are past fellows of the Berggruen Institute.

Speakers

Baoshu

Science Fiction Writer
2022-2023 Berggruen Fellow

Primarily engaged in the field of science fiction, Baoshu has written nine novels, including The Redemption of Time, The Ruins of Time, and The Seven Kingdoms Galaxy Saga, among others. His works explore themes such as biological evolution and the origins of civilization, near-future private life and ethics, and philosophical investigation on time and space. Many of his works have been translated into English, French, German, Japanese, Spanish etc. He has received Chinese Nebula Award, the Galaxy Award for Chinese Science Fiction, and the Planet Award, among others, and have been shortlisted for the Japanese Seiun Award's international translation category and the Hugo Award for Best Short Story.

GE Jianqiao

Brain Scientist
2021-2022 Berggruen China Center Fellow

Ge is a lecturer at the Academic for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies (AAIS), Peking University. Her research focuses on brain intelligence and social cognition. Ge received her Ph.D. in psychology, B.S in physics, a double B.S in mathematics and applied mathematics, and a double B.S in economics from Peking University. She was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Chicago. Ge has published more than 20 peer-reviewed articles on leading academic journals such as PNAS, the Journal of Neuroscience, and has been awarded two national patents. In 2008, by scanning the human brain with functional MRI, Ge and her collaborator were among the first to confirm that the human brain engages distinct neurocognitive strategies to comprehend human intelligence and artificial intelligence.

About CITIC Bookstores

CITIC Bookstores operate under the CITIC Publishing Group. It adheres to the development concept of "enhancing the value of each reader's unit time" and integrates carefully selected books, cultural and creative products, reader community spaces，and fine dining to upgrade the traditional bookstore model into a composite cultural lifestyle destination.

About The Berggruen Institute

The Berggruen Institute’s mission is to develop foundational ideas and shape political, economic, and social institutions for the 21st century. Providing critical analysis using an outwardly expansive and purposeful network, we bring together some of the best minds and most authoritative voices from across cultural and political boundaries to explore fundamental questions of our time. Our objective is enduring impact on the progress and direction of societies around the world.