(Yicai Global) Feb. 17 -- Shares in Hangzhou Huaxing Chuangye Communication Technology hit a six-and-a-half month high today after the Chinese supplier of fifth-generation mobile network devices said it has secured the copyright to develop a virtual world based on the prize-winning sci-fi novel ‘The Three Body Problem’ and related hardware.

Huaxing Chuangye’s share price [SHE:300025] closed up 1.7 percent today at CNY5.90 (USD0.86). Earlier in the day it surged 7.7 percent to CNY6.27, the highest since early August last year.

Huaxin Chuangye has been granted permission by the copyright holder of the ‘The Three-Body Problem,’ which won the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 2015, to develop, design and operate a ‘Three-Body Problem’-themed metaverse and also create avatars for the main characters in the novel, the company said today

The Hangzhou, southeastern Zhejiang province-based firm will also develop related augmented reality applications as well as hardware, such as AR eyewear, AR content editors and AR displays, it said.

As one of the world’s top intellectual properties, the tie-up with Liu Cixin's masterpiece will help Huaxin Chuangye develop application scenarios for 5G+ telecoms technologies, which will enhance its market influence in emerging technologies such as AR and avatars, it added.

The firm will pay a copyright fee as well sales commissions to Three-Body Universe (Shanghai) Cultural Development, the copyright holder, who is a subsidiary of mobile game developer Youzu.Com, Huaxin Chuangye said, citing the deal penned between the pair on Feb. 15. The copyright fee must be paid before the end of June, while the sales commission will be paid in regular installments. The amounts involved were not specified. The rights are non-exclusive and are valid for a decade.

'The Three-Body Problem’ is the first in Liu’s sci-fi trilogy called “The Remembrance of Earth’s Past,” which tells the ups and downs of human civilization on earth and the alien civilization of Trisolarans. A TV drama series adapted from the novel premiered on China Central Television, the country’s state broadcaster, during the Spring Festival holiday last month.

Editor: Kim Taylor