The cover of "The Three-Body Problem"

Nature writing and sci-fi surged from obscurity to popularity.

Chinese have become infatuated with nature writing through naturalist Cheng Hong, who's also the premier's wife. Her book Return to the Wilderness became a hit after she presented it as a gift to Ethiopian President Mulatu Teshome in May.

Subsequently, Commercial Press released a series of translated works belonging to the genre, such as The Forest Unseen and One Square Inch of Silence.

The first installment of Liu Cixin's sci-fi trilogy The Three-Body Problem became the first book from the genre by a Chinese author to enter the US market and a best-seller at home. The work has sparked interest in the previously overlooked genre in China－as have plans to adapt it into a film.

Beijing Normal University recently announced it will offer the country's first sci-fi literature doctoral program next year.