【2019年5月19日，位于大波士顿地区的布兰迪斯大学举行第68届毕业典礼。中国科幻作家刘慈欣在典礼中获名誉博士学位，以下是他的演讲稿。】
女士们，先生们，下午好：
感谢布兰迪斯大学授予我这个荣誉学位。对于像我这样在中国从事科幻写作的人来说，这种荣誉尤为特殊。
在古代，我们曾有过很多出色的神话，中国文学从不缺乏想象力。但在近现代，艰苦和动荡的生活使现实主义成为主流。“现实”和“历史”变成了中国文学全部的焦点。然而，近年来，中国作家开始创造自己的神话。这些神话以科幻小说的形式出现。与古代不同，它们不再是虚构的。作家们在新神话中用想象描述众多可能性，其中的一个或几个很可能在未来变成现实。
科幻在中国变得越来越普遍，令人高兴的是，这个古老的文明终于开始想象遥远星空了。
我一直试图描绘人类与宇宙的关系，试图描述我们在浩瀚宇宙中琐碎但有价值的存在。假设宇宙是座城市，银河系就是我们的居所，太阳系就是建筑物的地下室，然后，地球就是地下室的一只狭小的柜子。很不幸，我们也许一生都会住在柜子里，永远无法离开。
我努力写下科幻小说，希望让人们意识到外面那些建筑和城市的存在。在庞大的社会和人类活动总和中，科幻的存在可能微不足道。但如果我的故事可以让读者在某天晚上停下忙碌的步伐，做一些以前从未尝试过的事——比如简单地抬头看看星星——我就会觉得，我所有的努力都得到了回报。
谢谢大家！
刘慈欣
Ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon.
I’d like to express my thanks to Brandeis University for giving me this honorary degree. For someone who writes science fiction in China like me, this honor becomes even more special.
In ancient times, Chinese literature was never short of imagination. We had a great deal of splendid myths. But in modern times, the life full of suffering and turmoil made realism the mainstream of literature. As a result, reality and history occupied all the attention of Chinese literature. In recent years, however, Chinese writers have started to create their own myths. These myths appear in the form of science fiction. They are different from the ancient ones. They are no longer all fictional. Among the many possibilities described through imagination in the new myths, one or a few of them may become reality in the future.
Sci-fi is now becoming widespread in China. The ancient civilization is starting to imagine the distant stars, which is fascinating.
In my sci-fi stories, I try to depict the relationship between the humankind and the universe, try to describe our trivial yet valuable existence in the vastness of the universe.
Just suppose, if the universe is this big city, then the galaxy is no the building we live in, then the solar system is only the basement of the building, and then the earth will just be a small and narrow cabinet in the basement. Unfortunately, we are going to live in the cabinet throughout our lives, never to get out.
I always try hard to write sci-fi that make people aware of the existence of the building, and of the big city, above us. I understand that, in the huge society where we live and among all human activities, sci-fi may be like nothing. But I will feel all my efforts rewarded, if my stories could make readers stop their busy footsteps one night, and do something they’ve never done before——as simple as raise their heads and look at the stars, then I can say my efforts have paid off to a great extent.
Thank you very much!