Hollywood's new blockbuster The Martian has landed atop China's box office since its release on November 25. As of now it has passed the 100-million-yuan ($15.6 million) mark and is expected to soak in an increasingly staggering number of moviegoers while hitting Chinese cinemas. The outer-space adventure film has already swept North American and global box office charts as well as gained positive reviews for multiple weeks since it debut in early October.

The 3D science fiction movie directed by Ridley Scott and starring Matt Damon is an adaptation of the eponymous novel by US writer and software engineer Andy Weir. In the 2035-set US, astronaut Mark Watney is left alone after being assumed dead by his crew during a manned mission to Mars. Stranded on the deserted and unfriendly red planet, he manages to survive with his wisdom, pluck, humor and tenacity. "I'm going to science the shit out of this," the Robinson Crusoe on Mars claims as the daring survival story unfolds.

However, though various scientific elements involving botany, astrophysics, chemistry, geometry and astrology glut people's eyes, the humanity highlighted by selflessness, optimism and cooperation is also heart stirring. At a critical moment of the rescue mission by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the protagonist's crewmates, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) provides a lifeline with its classified booster which is originally to be used for its own Mars project.

The China factor has further excited the Chinese audiences. "It shows China is among the world leaders in space technology." "This is the only Hollywood movie that includes Chinese elements without any sense of disharmony!" "Our nation is playing an increasingly positive role in Western literature." Most Net users offer affirmative reviews and feel proud of China's cutting-edge technology in 2035. Many media outlets asked Scott at the film's premiere in Beijing whether the CNSA plot indicates China's improving international status.

This is not the first time that Chinese elements have appeared in Hollywood movies. The inclusion dates back to the black-and-white film era, but it was not until the late 1990s that Hollywood started dealing with these elements seriously in one way or another.

Kung Fu Panda is a case in point, putting a full display of Chinese kung fu art with a tinge of Confucian thought. In The Matrix Revolutions, Kill Bill and The Forbidden Kingdom, kung fu plays a key part in pushing forward the story. Hollywood filmmakers have not only targeted symbolic Chinese cultural traditions, they have also explored fantastic locations across this vast territory.

In the 2009 hit Avatar, the splendid floating "Hallelujah Mountain" is inspired by photographs of the Southern Sky Column in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, central China's Hunan Province. Tom Cruise did a bungee jump from the Shanghai Bank of China Tower in Mission: Impossible 3. About one third of this motion film was shot in Shanghai and Xitang Ancient Town in the capital city of Zhejiang Province. In addition, the faces of Chinese A-listers have become familiar in commercial blockbusters.

Gradually these Chinese elements derailed from revealing the Middle Kingdom's mysterious culture during its long-standing historical course but descended to stunts to woo the Chinese. But The Martian has broken this ongoing spate.

International cooperation in space is an irresistible trend in today's world, on par with science and intellect. According to Weir, NASA is anticipated to cooperate more substantially with its Chinese counterpart in space technology.

The booster and China's willingness to offer help in this imaginary story of the future demonstrate both the rising country's state-of-the-art space technology and its humanitarian spirit.

Furthermore, the movie is a testimony that the Western world is reshaping its views toward China. As a valentine to science and NASA, it is also a valentine to Sino-US cooperation in space industry.

Wang Kexin, a freelance writer based in Beijing