Folding Beijing

Folding Beijing is a science fiction novella set in a future where Beijing has been engineered into three stacked layers to accommodate its massive population. The story follows Thomas, a migrant worker from the lower levels, as he navigates the rigid class system and attempts to deliver a letter to the upper city. The novella explores themes of inequality, social stratification, and the human cost of technological solutions to urban overcrowding.

Originally published in Chinese, the work gained international prominence after winning the Hugo Award for Best Novelette in 2016, making it the first work in Chinese to win this major science fiction award. The English translation by Ken Liu brought the work to a global audience and sparked discussions about non-Western perspectives in science fiction. The novella's imaginative worldbuilding and social commentary have made it influential in contemporary SF discourse.