2026 China Science Fiction Convention opens in Beijing

The 2026 China Science Fiction Convention kicked off at Shougang Park in Beijing's Shijingshan District on Friday with a dazzling opening ceremony blending technology and imagination.

Hosted by a digital human named "Huanhuan", the ceremony brought together over 1,000 representatives from China's science and technology, business, literary and artistic sectors, along with international guests.

As a key part of the 2026 Zhongguancun Forum (ZGC Forum) Annual Conference, a major international event for advancing science and technology innovation, the three-day event features more than 20 activities, including a sci-fi game industry forum, aimed at showcasing innovative achievements that can drive market growth and transform sci-fi imagination into new quality productive forces.

At the opening ceremony, the "2026 China Science Fiction Industry Report" was officially released, offering an in-depth analysis of the annual trends and key developments in the Chinese science fiction industry. The scale of China's sci-fi industry reached 126.1 billion yuan (about 18.2 billion U.S. dollars) in 2025, up 15.7 percent year on year, and the figure has exceeded 100 billion yuan (about 14.5 billion U.S. dollars) for three consecutive years, according to the report.

At the opening ceremony, new sci-fi movies such as Missions to the Moon were released, vividly showcasing the scientific and technological leaps in China's aerospace industry. Among those in attendance were academicians, aerospace experts, and renowned science fiction writers, including Hugo Award-winning novelist Liu Cixin.

"We hope that science fiction can play a vital role in sparking public interest in science and drawing attention to scientific and technological development, showcasing achievements in areas like artificial intelligence and humanoid robots, as well as their applications in future industries. Moving forward, we will establish the Beijing Future Digital Space Innovation Pilot Zone and continue to build Beijing into a renowned 'City of Science Fiction'," said Hu Hao, deputy district mayor of Shijingshan District.

Marking the 10th edition of the convention, a "Future Digital Block" has been introduced for the first time to highlight the latest accomplishments in the development of the Beijing Future Digital Space Innovation Pilot Zone.

Shijingshan District will also host dozens of exciting events, including a sci-fi bazaar and film screenings. Special consumer packages will be launched to boost cultural and tourism spending, integrating the charm of science fiction into urban life while making the genre more accessible and enjoyable for the public.

2026 China Science Fiction Convention opens in Beijing

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Friday that it struck multiple missile production and storage sites across Iran from Thursday night into early Friday morning.

According to the IDF, its strikes hit facilities producing ballistic missiles and other weapons in the Iranian capital Tehran, as well as missile launchers and storage facilities in western Iran.

The IDF also said that it struck Iran's primary military naval site for the production of missiles and sea mines in central Iran.

The site, located in the city of Yazd and targeted by the Israeli Air Force, was used for the planning, development, assembly and storage of advanced missiles intended for launch from surface vessels, submarines and helicopters against both mobile and stationary maritime targets, the IDF said in a statement.

The Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) said on social media on Friday that a residential area in Tehran was hit by airstrikes. Search and rescue operations are underway.

Also on Friday, a security official in the central province of Qom said that the U.S. and Israeli attacks in the Pardisan area in the early hours of the day have resulted in 15 deaths and 10 injuries.

The death toll could rise further as the search and rescue operations are still underway, said the official.

Israel claims strikes on Iran's missile production, storage sites while Iran reports more casualties