Xia Jia is the pen-name Wang Yao (born in Xi'an, Shaanxi, 1984), a Chinese science fiction writer, artist and literary scholar. Several of her stories have won China's Galaxy Award, and have been published in English translation in Clarkesworld, Nature, and Upgraded. She has characterized her works as "porridge scifi", as they often contain so many non-scientific elements (such as myths or folklore) that many might not consider them “science fiction”.
Xia Jia's translated works include:
- The Demon-Enslaving Flask
- A Hundred Ghosts Parade Tonight
- Tongtong's Summer
- Spring Festival: Happiness, Anger, Love, Sorrow, Joy
- Night Journey of the Dragon Horse
- The Psychology Game
- Goodnight, Melancholy
- What Makes Chinese Science Fiction Chinese? (an essay on the history and present situation of Chinese science fiction)
This author's works provide examples of:
- Artificial Intelligence: AI and its limitations are discussed in "The Psychology Game" and "Goodnight, Melancholy".
- Historical Domain Character: Much of "Goodnight, Melancholy" centers on the life and theories of Alan Turing. "The Demon-Enslaving Flask" features James Clerk Maxwell and his wife Mary as main characters and references a host of other famous scientists, from Archimedes to Albert Einstein.
- 20 Minutes into the Future: Many of Xia Jia's stories take place in the near future, such as "Tongtong's Summer", "Goodnight, Melancholy" and "The Psychology Game".
