Thanks to the exploratory researches and endeavors in the area of Chinese science novel during its past 50 years of growing development, it has obtained immense supports and acclaims from a great number of renowned scientists, literature writers, and science writers. Whilst science novel research across China is still on a burgeoning path currently, with great impacts domestically and internationally. The writer finds that there remain some differences in science novel and science fiction: science novel is not entirely tantamount to “science fantasy fiction”, science novel gives an expression to science content in the form of novel which writes about “science in reality” rather than “science in fantasy”. Science and literature are the 2 wings of science novel, “science” and “novel” are wholly combined and inter-dependent for a successful science novel. Some scholars argue that the extensional connation of science novel is far more extensive than that of science fiction where science fiction shall be classified into science novel. Those arguments are worthy of further discussions. Statistics show that a number of novels in the form of science are taken as the well-known science fictions. Science novel is almost eclipsed by science fiction. As a matter of fact, as long as we seek exploring investigations and endeavors, we will encounter a huge number of classic science novels, such as Xiayi Lou by Li Yu, Cinq Semaines En Ballon by Jules Verne, as well as The New World of Mr Tompkins by George Gamow, etc.

science novel  /  exploratory  /  research  /  Li Yu  /  Verne