Ongoing Apocalypse and Ecological Consciousness in Han Song’s Science Fiction

Abstract

In contrast to the usual format of apocalyptic fiction which provides redemption or resolution, Chinese science fiction writer Han Song’s Subway (2010) (as well as his other works) uniquely embodies Timothy Gilmore’s concept of “continuously unfolding apocalypse,” which is associated with a “wildness” that prompts true ecological consciousness. Most science fiction of the apocalyptic mode unwittingly promotes either technological optimism or moral and ideological certitude, and dispels feelings of helplessness and uncertainty engendered by these very apocalyptic scenarios. However, Han’s post-apocalyptic visions depict urban collapse from which there is no easy recovery, nor a convenient way to assign blame. Subway inventively refuses to provide satisfactory resolution but instead mires the reader in uncertainty through many aspects of the text, including narrative technique and stylistic choices. I argue that in doing so, Subway provides a challenging new way of looking at apocalypse, one that, in its very difficulty and unpleasantness, challenges the gospel of hyper-development and is a more effective ecological text than those that provide simple catharsis.