Movement, Migration and Ecology in Hao Jingfang’s Science Fiction Novel Vagabonds

This paper examines the intricate interplay between movement, migration, politics, and society in Hao Jingfang’s science fiction novel Vagabonds (Liulang Cangqiong, 2016), focusing on the protagonist’s journeys between Earth and Mars. Set against a post-war backdrop characterized by divergent societal values—an egalitarian Mars and an individualistic Earth—the narrative serves as a critical lens for exploring contemporary cultural, social, and political life, along with its ecological implications.

This paper analyses how Vagabonds utilises these contrasting societal frameworks to investigate questions of agency, and how its aesthetic form portrays mobility as a complex interaction between society and ecology, revealing the implications of movement and migration in human encounters. By examining these themes, this paper aims to contribute to the broader discourse on how narratives of migration and mobility inform our understanding of cultural and political dynamics in a rapidly changing world.