Recently, at the award ceremony of the inaugural Science Fiction Supernova Awards, Lei Hong, a science fiction writer from Hecheng District of Huaihua City, won the Gold Prize for Long-Form Fiction with his novel Sleepless Sleep, while another of his works, Rain Elegy, received the Bronze Prize for Original Mid-Length Fiction. Lei Hong’s unique "Great Xiangxi Tower Series Science Fiction" writing style captivated the entire venue, becoming a major highlight of the ceremony.
It is reported that the award-winning work Sleepless Sleep is deeply imbued with regional characteristics. It incorporates into the book a wealth of local Huaihua elements such as "Miao and Dong ethnic villages," "Hongjiang Ancient Commercial Town," and "Yushu Bay." The novel successfully explores a creative path that blends science fiction with local culture, using sci‑fi to passionately promote "Blessed Land Huaihua." This approach helps more people learn about and become drawn to Huaihua.
"'Great Xiangxi Tower Series Science Fiction' is relatively rare in the realm of science fiction literature," Lei said in an interview. In his writing, he explores the creative approach of "science fiction + region," weaving sci‑fi with the local culture and customs of his hometown. He uses science fiction to convey popular science concepts and reflects social realities through local settings. "As a science fiction writer, I have always believed that inspiration comes from the land beneath our feet and the starry sky above," he added.
Lei is the vice chairperson of the Hecheng District Writers Association in Huaihua and an ordinary staff member at the district taxation bureau. "Collecting taxes by day, writing science fiction by night" has long been part of his life. Previously, he published a standalone science fiction novel titled Beneath the Mother Tower and has had over 500,000 words of his short and medium‑length works published, serialized, or featured in columns in provincial‑level or higher publications such as Science Fiction Cubeand Invention and Innovation. His works The Long Night Unending and The Sleep Tax Era were shortlisted for the 19th and 21st China Hundred Flowers Literature Awards · Science Fiction Literature Award, respectively.
Hard work pays off. After a decade of persistence and passion, honing his craft like a sword, Lei has completed the journey from a literature enthusiast to a gold medalist of national science fiction. Notably, at the concurrent China Science Fiction Convention’s "Science Fiction Industry Investment and Financing Series," Lei was also honored with the title of "Most Promising Sci-Fi Author with Investment Potential."
(Translated by Feng Tao)