The Wandering Earth

The Wandering Earth is a hard science fiction novel by Liu Cixin, originally serialized in Science Fiction World magazine in 2008. The story depicts humanity's response to the Sun's imminent death by constructing massive thrusters to propel Earth out of the solar system, beginning a multi-generational journey through space. The novel explores themes of collective survival, technological ambition, and the costs of planetary-scale engineering, presenting detailed scientific speculation about physics and engineering challenges.

The work became a cornerstone of contemporary Chinese science fiction and gained international recognition following the 2019 film adaptation directed by Frant Gwo, which became one of the highest-grossing non-English language films. The novel's influence extends across Chinese popular culture and has contributed to the global rise of Chinese sci-fi in translation.