On the weekend of May 19-20, the inaugural Asia-Pacific Science Fiction Convention will take place in Beijing, China. This event is jointly sponsored by the Future Affairs Administration and the Global Innovators Conference (GIC), with cooperation from the Science and Communication Bureau of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the APEC Youth International Innovation Community.

Over the course of the weekend more than sixty panels will take place, covering science fiction and cutting-edge science. Guests from over 20 countries, including China, Korea, New Zealand, Italy, US, Philippine, Canada, Egypt, India, Russia, Czech, Estonia, Finland, Ukraine, etc. will gather together, discussing SF topics. There will also be readings, workshops, signing sessions, fan booths and an art exhibit. Guests will include Hugo award winning Chinese author Liu Cixin, Hugo and Nebula award-winning American author Terry Bisson, Hugo award-winning Canadian author Peter Watts, Chinese author Han Song, Director Li Xiaofeng, Korean author and scriptwriter Kim Boyoung, Ukrainian author and editor Volodymyr Arenev, Russian author K. A. Teryna, Italian author and editor Francesco Verso, and many others.

Two award ceremonies will be held at the convention – GRAVITY AWARDS and GOLDEN AGE AWARDS. The results of Gravity Awards will be announced on site, with Terry Bisson presenting the Short Story Award. Gravity Awards follow the Hugo model, where convention members can vote in advance for their favorite stories. Special guest Liu Cixin will also present the Golden Age awards, given to the best works and scientists of the year who have done the most to promote science among the public.

Further details about this event are available at http://www.apsfcon.com/.