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Paper short abstract

This paper examines Salt Fish Girl’s transfuturism, where Chinese myth and posthumanism merge to envision a radically transformed humanity. Lai rewrites the Nu Wa myth, critiques colonialism and Orientalism, and reimagines the future through mythic narratives rather than technological progress.

Paper long abstract

This paper examines transfuturism in Asian Canadian writer Larissa Lai's 2002 novel Salt Fish Girl, defining it as a vision of the future with a radically transformed reality and concept of the human. The chapter argues that this novel emphasizes the importance of Chinese myth in posthuman thinking, challenging the notion that myth and posthumanism are incompatible. Lai demonstrates how myths can be rewritten and parodied, as seen in her adaptation of the Nu Wa cosmology, which serves as a counterpoint to European myths and Christian cosmology.

Salt Fish Girl skillfully blends science fiction and myth to critique dystopian futures shaped by corporate colonialism, racism, and transhumanist ideals. It also parodies Anglophone science fiction works like Frankenstein and Blade Runner, challenging their Orientalist depictions of Asian characters. Through this approach, Lai offers a unique perspective on how transfuturism can be achieved through the mythic reconceptualization of posthumanism, rather than through transhumanist technological advancement. By analyzing Lai’s novel, this chapter explores an alternative vision of the future that demonstrates how traditional narratives can be repurposed to imagine new understandings of humanity.