China’s open-source sci-fi novel, The Morning Star of Linggao, remains popular after 20 years. It has gained attention in the US but is still outside China’s mainstream. The plot begins with an overworked salesman in modern China. He discovers a wormhole that sends him and more than 500 others back over 300 years to the late Ming dynasty, in 1642. They settle in Linggao, now part of Hainan island. The time travelers aim to start an industrial revolution, build infrastructure, and create a military base. Their goal is to change history and “make China great again.” The late Ming dynasty setting is a key part of the story. At that time, China faced corruption and isolation, while Europe was entering the Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment. The novel’s characters hope to use modern knowledge to stop China from falling behind the West during the Industrial Revolution. This mix of time travel and history draws readers who enjoy tech and hopeful futures.