Eight Light Minutes

Home
China
Chengdu
Eight Light Minutes

Science Fiction Publisher in Chengdu, China.

我们是热爱科幻、出版科幻图书的八光分🌍
坐标中国成都，Let's Jump with Light！ Let’s jump with Light🪐

八光分，指光在真空中行进八分钟的距离。
既是阳光到达地球的距离，也是孕育生命的距离。
2016年我们在成都创立，志在像阳光撒播生命一样，让科幻成为生活之光。

随心一跃，与光同行！
——

Eight light-minutes is the distance between the Sun and the Earth. Founded in 2016 by a small group of editors and hardcore sci-fi lovers, like the sunlight nurturing life on earth, we aim to make science fiction the light of everyday life.

10/01/2025

Five years ago, an old friend, Mike Resnick, a brilliant science fiction author, editor, lifelong sci-fi fan, and founder of Galaxy’s Edge magazine, left us forever.

Resnick’s death is a great loss to the science fiction community. Not only did he contribute greatly to the field of sci-fi literature as an author and editor, but he also influenced countless sci-fi fans and writers by bringing up new people.

Galaxy’s Edge Chinese edition has curated A Tribute Issue to Mike Resnick to meet our readers. In the upcoming issue 021, seven Resnick stories are included, as well as eulogies to Resnick by many renowned professionals.

Here we share a video interview with Resnick conducted in 2018 by Regina Kanyu Wang on behalf of our team.

Resnick‘s original intention of founding Galaxy’s Edge magazine, Writer Children, coincides with our idea - to help new writers in sci-fi circles reach their career milestones. At the same time, Resnick’s aesthetics for sci-fi is exactly what our Chinese editorial team is sticking to, looking for sci-fi works that resonate with the times and share a sense of wonder with readers.

To our future authors.

Mike Resnick will always be very missed.❤️

01/01/2025

𝙃𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙮 𝙉𝙚𝙬 𝙔𝙚𝙖𝙧 ᵎᵎ ‍☻

♥️•ᴗ• ♥️

24/12/2024

Hey there! Merry Christmas from 8LM! 🔔☃️🧣

Our amazing civil engineering whiz has gone all out and crafted a truly one-of-a-kind ʚ🎄ɞ "Christmas Book Tree". With the rock-solid 📖 Chinese Science Fiction: An Oral History as its base, it stands there like a champ, just as fabulous as the TARDIS hovering above. It's a sight that screams stability and pure awesomeness! 🤭

May this wonderful festive season be overflowing with the most amazing sci-fi magic and heaps of joy for each and every one of you. ☆.🤶🏻.:*🛷°☆.🦌.:*🍎

Have a fantastically happy holiday! 💫

20/12/2024

Douban, China's most popular rating platform for books, films, tv series, games, theatre and music, just announced their 🏆 2024 Book of the Year List yesterday. Among them, in the field of sci-fi/fantasy literature, 3 of the 10 books that won awards were published by us:

3rd place: Gu Shi's 📖 2181 Overture
5th place: D**g Xinyuan's 📖 Bianhe and Jade
10th place: Xia Sang's 📖 Orpheus' Marathon

Last year we had The Best of Greg Egan on the list, and this year's three are all original sci-fi by Chinese authors. It's our greatest joy as editors to see these great new authors achieve honours.

We will have more original Chinese sci-fi works coming out in 2025, and we look forward to the opportunity for sci-fi fans in more countries to read these works from China in the future!

13/12/2024

What kind of sci-fi stories can be born from the land of Chengdu?

Previously, we published Zhao Lei's The Stars and Secrets of the Lost Town: stories that take place in Chengdu and Hanwang, a small town deep in the mountains of Sichuan province, and are related to cosmic civilisations. This year we published Xia Sang's 🏃🏻‍♂️ Orpheus' Marathon 🐳, a story of introspection and self-help for a depressed man - which, of course, highlights such distinctive regional cultures as the Chengdu Marathon and the aroma of bean soup rice.

The protagonist, Shen Yuming, suffers a serious injury while competing in the Chengdu Marathon. Cyber violence and his injuries send him into a deep depression, which in turn alienates him from his family, only to be met with an even greater tragedy. In his despair and regret, he accidentally discovers that whenever he runs, he can see his late wife.

Author Xia Sang has launched a ‘marathon’ book sharing event at local independent bookstores in Chengdu to share with readers this new book, which was born out of his own life experiences and tells the story of a ‘loser’ in a meritocratic society.

📖 Orpheus' Marathon

06/12/2024

Christmas is coming! 🎄Can't wait!🥰

06/12/2024

The latest news from the Chinese edition of Galaxy's Edge ✨

Galaxy's Edge 020 will be released soon! 🌊🎋

This collection features 8 stories by Chinese, Japanese and American writers.

THE CLONED HEART / Ling Siran
HI, COLONIC / Harry Turtledove
BREAKING BAMBOO / Liang Qingsan
SONG OF THE SARGASSO / Marina J. Lostetter
TAMING THE FLOOD / An Hao
BURIED HOPES / Michael F. Flynn
CYBER BUDDHA / Wang Linken
◯ / Saruba Tsukasa

The cover is by illustrator Sija Hong, a finalist for the 2023 Hugo Award for ‘Best Professional Artist’, and the bookmark that comes with the issue has been transformed into a beautiful postcard of the original cover.

29/11/2024

In 2016, we successfully acquired the rights to the official spin-off novels of the BBC British series Doctor Who, marking the first book rights procured since the founding of Eight Light Minutes Culture. In 2017, the first Chinese edition of the series ✨Human Only✨ was published. To date, we have published 26 novels featuring the six-term Doctors from the 8.5th to the 13th, as well as a companion setting book, 'Doctor Who-ology'.

Since publishing the novels, we have held dozens of Doctor Who-related events in multiple cities across China.

In 2023, at the Chengdu Worldcon, we hosted a 'Doctor Who in China' forum and a 'Who is Coming?' Doctor Who 60th anniversary preview fan party. We were honored to win 'Best Fan Party' at the Chengdu Worldcon in 2023. In 2024, we took our Doctor Who books to the Glasgow Worldcon and greeted Whovians from all over the world!

Fun fact: when the rights to Doctor Who were finalized, the TARDIS parachuted into our office! Today, it is filled with all kinds of figures we've purchased/collected, Doctor Who books we've published, gifts from Chinese Whovians, and posters from events we've organized. ...It's bigger on the inside! This has made our office one of the must-visit places for Chinese Whovians.

27/11/2024

Behind the story | Interview with Allen Steele

LOOK what we have found in our time vault!!😄😄

May 2019, American science fiction master Allen Steele was invited to the Another Planet Science Fiction Convention. We successfully met Allen during the APSFcon and captured this precious video of our conversation.

In this video, Allen shared his trip to China, explained the origins of the book tittle, and he told us the relations between Coyote series and early American history. Allen has also shared his view of interstellar migration. Click the video and watch~

26/11/2024

🪐Your hometown is not necessarily the place where you were born, but the place where you ultimately choose to settle.

Allen Steele’s ‘Coyote’ series holds a special place in the hearts of Chinese science fiction fans. In 2014, the first volume of ‘Coyote’ was published in China, but the second and third volumes were not introduced for a long time. Ten years later, we finally present the complete trilogy to readers!

This is a grand epic about interstellar migration and the formidable struggle for freedom of human beings. The author predicts a pessimistic future while providing a relatively optimistic scenario. Perhaps we can believe that the fate of Earth will eventually come to an end, but human civilization will continue to thrive.

Cover graphics by brilliant Kilian Eng The sample books were definitely breathtaking; ever since they were delivered, the entire office just went crazy about them. And the inner cover was illustrated by Qilong Lee, whose works give the trilogy a vintage texture.

📖COYOTE

21/11/2024

🎙️Conversations with 21 famous Chinese sci-fi writers, read the history of China's sci-fi development in the chat!

The ‘Chinese Science Fiction: An Oral History’ project is a major initiative started since 2016, led by Yang Feng, founder of Eight Light Minutes Culture. During the past eight years, Editor Yang Feng has led a team of interviewers across a dozen cities in China, conducted over 30 interviews, collected more than 8,000 photographic materials, and after years of checking historical information, finally presented this three-volume ✨Chinese Science Fiction: An Oral History✨, which has more than a million characters and contains 500+ photographs.

Volume 1 and Volumes 2&3 (2&3 are a set) of the oral history were respectively nominated for the 2023 and 2024 Hugo Awards for Best Related Work.

At the Glasgow Worldcon, we brought a three-volume sample of Chinese Science Fiction: An Oral History to introduce the history of Chinese science fiction to foreign science fiction fans. Following the Worldcon, we donated the three sample books to the University Library of Liverpool.

In September of this year, we officially donated all the materials of the 'Chinese Science Fiction: An Oral History' project to the National Library of China, including related videos, first-hand photos, letters and Hugo Award finalist certificates and many other precious materials. Since then, the volumes of Chinese Science Fiction: An Oral History have been permanently installed in the National Library of China's China Memory Project Centre.

📖CHINESE SCIENCE FICTION: AN ORAL HISTORY

15/11/2024

🤔Taste food with brainwaves, not your tongue.

There is no better start to knowing Bao Shu than by Tasting the Future Delicacy Three Times. His sci-fi features some of the most creative ideas and marvelous plots. The story depicts three phases of human society’s quest for a delicious food tasting experience, using the development of brainwave sharing technology as a thread. Through the perspectives of two individuals, ‘the rich man’ and ‘the ordinary man’, it deeply reveals the essence of human nature and the alienation of technology under the influence of social class.

This story was originally published in Galaxy‘s Edge: Issue 013. We are actively pursuing a film or TV adaptation of this story. In addition, several stories from the collection Tasting the Future Delicacy Three Times have been translated into English, Japanese, and other languages, and at least two other stories are being developed for film and animation.

📖TASTING THE FUTURE DELICACY THREE TIMES

12/11/2024

This summer, we published a new collection of Bao Shu, ✨Tasting the Future Delicacy Three Times✨. Except the title piece, there are 19 other short stories, divided in three volumes, ‘Universe’, ‘Time and Space’, and ‘Life’. The brilliant and creative ideas in these stories are truly awe-inspiring. Bao Shu has won several Chinese science fiction awards, and Tasting the Future Delicacy Three Times was nominated for 2024 Hugo Award 'Best Short Story'.

🪐Whether grand, far-reaching, or insightful, Bao Shu writes each novel close to human nature, to the essentials of food and shelter, to emotions and desires, and ultimately raises them to the heights of civilization. In his writing, fiction is thrilling, psychedelic, and making you want to believe.

🛰️At the Glasgow Worldcon, we met many readers who had voted for Bao Shu, as well as readers who left messages in our memorial book to support Tasting the Future Delicacy Three Times. Although the story didn't win any awards, we are very grateful for the love and support of our readers.

08/11/2024

I have responsibility to write those women I've seen.—Gu Shi

「Introduction to Overture 2181, Second Edition」 is an introduction to a nonexistent book. When an invention is newly born that can set off the waves of the times, what kind of path will individual humans take in the midst of it all?
In this story, as herbination technology is created, people have to face the legal and ethical issues that come with it. Some are vehemently against the technology, while others find business opportunities in it. Some leave everything behind to travel to the future, while others choose to stay in the present.
The author Gu Shi applies 16 female characters to weave together a collage of group stories, using logical reasoning to deduce the future society, while the theme that the warm and touching writings ultimately returns to is still love and humanity.

📖 OVERTURE 2181

06/11/2024

Finally we’ve got time to sum things up!!!

This August, we released a collection of Gu Shi's fantasy short stories, ✨Overture 2181✨. There are 8 stories in total, including this year's Hugo Award nominee for 'Best Novellette' 「Introduction to 2181 Overture, Second Edition」 and a new fantasy novel 弑神记(The Story of Slaying God).
Gu Shi is one of the most popular female authors in China. She also attended the 2024 Glasgow Worldcon this year, participating in book signings and panels, and meeting many of her lovely readers and friends.

Thanks very much for your love and support to Gu Shi and her stories!

09/10/2024

Not to be too clingy but two months later our friendship with the best neighbour ever still stays (of course it will stay we just miss you so much Roy Gray and Audrie!)

19/08/2024

Had a great time at Glasgow 2024, A Worldcon For Our Futures and my chinese friends enjoyed getting books from Eight Light Minutes Publishers! Looking forwards to hearing how the story is!

08/08/2024

We’ve landed on Glasgow Worldcon!
Find us in Hall 5 😎

Our table is near the Art show & Dealer’s Room entrance. Here are a lot of books and postcards and cute pandas and a spinning Buddha 😛

Visit us and get your ribbons! 🖖👀

Address

Chengdu

Website

https://twitter.com/8LightMinutes

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Eight Light Minutes posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Eight Light Minutes:

Videos

Five years ago, an old friend, Mike Resnick, a brilliant science fiction author, editor, lifelong sci-fi fan, and founder of Galaxy’s Edge magazine, left us forever. Resnick’s death is a great loss to the science fiction community. Not only did he contribute greatly to the field of sci-fi literature as an author and editor, but he also influenced countless sci-fi fans and writers by bringing up new people. Galaxy’s Edge Chinese edition has curated A Tribute Issue to Mike Resnick to meet our readers. In the upcoming issue 021, seven Resnick stories are included, as well as eulogies to Resnick by many renowned professionals. Here we share a video interview with Resnick conducted in 2018 by Regina Kanyu Wang on behalf of our team. Resnick‘s original intention of founding Galaxy’s Edge magazine, Writer Children, coincides with our idea - to help new writers in sci-fi circles reach their career milestones. At the same time, Resnick’s aesthetics for sci-fi is exactly what our Chinese editorial team is sticking to, looking for sci-fi works that resonate with the times and share a sense of wonder with readers. To our future authors. Mike Resnick will always be very missed.❤️ #scifi #galaxysedge

in memory of Mike Resnick

A Tribute Issue to Mike Resnick

in memory of Mike Resnick

galaxy's edge magazine

in memory of Mike Resnick

Five years ago, an old friend, Mike Resnick, a brilliant science fiction author, editor, lifelong sci-fi fan, and founder of Galaxy’s Edge magazine, left us forever. Resnick’s death is a great loss to the science fiction community. Not only did he contribute greatly to the field of sci-fi literature as an author and editor, but he also influenced countless sci-fi fans and writers by bringing up new people. Galaxy’s Edge Chinese edition has curated A Tribute Issue to Mike Resnick to meet our readers. In the upcoming issue 021, seven Resnick stories are included, as well as eulogies to Resnick by many renowned professionals. Here we share a video interview with Resnick conducted in 2018 by Regina Kanyu Wang on behalf of our team. Resnick‘s original intention of founding Galaxy’s Edge magazine, Writer Children, coincides with our idea - to help new writers in sci-fi circles reach their career milestones. At the same time, Resnick’s aesthetics for sci-fi is exactly what our Chinese editorial team is sticking to, looking for sci-fi works that resonate with the times and share a sense of wonder with readers. To our future authors. Mike Resnick will always be very missed.❤️ #scifi #galaxysedge

Behind The Story | Interview with Allen Steele

Behind the story | Interview with Allen Steele LOOK what we have found in our time vault!!😄😄 May 2019, American science fiction master Allen Steele was invited to the Another Planet Science Fiction Convention. We successfully met Allen during the APSFcon and captured this precious video of our conversation. In this video, Allen shared his trip to China, explained the origins of the book tittle, and he told us the relations between Coyote series and early American history. Allen has also shared his view of interstellar migration. Click the video and watch~ #allensteele #coyote #scifi #americanhistory #interstellar

Shortcuts