Quantum Ghost is the second installment in the Shenzhen Original Sci-Fi Drama Trilogy. In 2023, the Department of Performance of Shenzhen University produced Cloud Avatar, the first work of this trilogy. Staged six times, the drama was covered by more than a dozen media outlets including People’s Daily Online, Xinhua Net, Guangming Net, and Yangcheng Evening News. Later published in People’s Literature in 2024, it became the first sci-fi drama script ever carried by the journal since its founding, and went on to win the People’s Literature Award one year later.
In 2025, backed by Shenzhen University, the Department of Performance kicked off the production of the sequel Quantum Ghost. The creation of this production spanned two years, with a cast and crew of 60 members, all composed of faculty and students from the Department of Performance. Its debut was covered by over ten media platforms such as People’s Daily Online, Guangming Net, CCTV News, Shenzhen Evening News, and Yangcheng Evening News, which showered high praise on this Shenzhen original work.
The play unfolds in the year 2060, when the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence has led to the mass production of silicon-based beings whose capabilities rival those of humans. Driven by “The Corporation”—a giant transnational capital consortium—a human replacement program is launched. However, intense internal and external conflicts within the capital group trigger a mysterious fire in the core laboratory. The protagonist, implanted with a quantum chip, becomes an “Observer” in the wake of this accident and is forced to embark on a twenty-year-long flight. At the end of his odyssey, he lives in seclusion with the “quantum ghost” of his late wife in a South Asian country, until one day, pursuers show up at their door. During the confrontation that ensues, the protagonist uncovers the conspiracy between “The Corporation” and the silicon-based beings, which lay hidden behind the fire two decades ago.
Open to the public, the performances of Quantum Ghost drew an audience of over 1,000 people, including representatives from the Shenzhen Federation of Literary and Art Circles, Shenzhen Dramatists Association, media organizations at all levels, cinema chains, enterprises, and universities. The full-house theaters are a testament to the large audience base and bright prospects of sci-fi drama in Shenzhen—a city renowned for its technological prowess. Subsequently, the creative team of Quantum Ghost participated in the Special Promotion Conference for Key High-Quality Literary and Artistic Works of Shenzhen. Moving forward, the team will continue to polish the production to deliver even more refined artistic works to audiences in Shenzhen.
