A long time ago, in an Australian cinema far, far away, I watched Star Wars for the first time.

It was a rerun of Return of the Jedi, the third release in a trilogy of sci-fi action films brimming with galactic swashbuckling, a morality tale in which the Jedi and Rebel Alliance (good guys) fight the Sith and The Empire (bad guys).

An embarrassing amount of my childhood was subsequently spent trying to "use the Force", a mystical Jedi power that among other things allows you to move objects with willpower alone.

Despite my best efforts, I was never able to levitate my pet dog or strike my little sister down with lightning bolts from my fingers, but my love of Star Wars has remained undiminished to this day.

With an enormous following of devoted fans (mean people call us nerds), the franchise has become deeply entrenched in Western popular culture.

Which is why when I moved to China in 2013 I was shocked to discover my Chinese friends didn't know what Star Wars was.

"Maybe," I said to one of them, "it came out here under a different name? Surely you know what a lightsaber is?"

The confusion on her face cleared and she nodded and we both smiled in relief because finally, we were on the same page.

"I know what a lifesaver is,' she replied.

We were not on the same page, after all.

The Star Wars films were released in China in 1985 but weren't a big success. The prequel trilogy (1999 to 2002) appears to have gotten some play here, but given how terrible it was I'm not surprised it didn't get traction.

There are online Chinese fan groups, but the franchise hasn't yet broken into the mainstream.

This may be about to change.

As you read this, the Star Wars books are being translated into Chinese, and the Shanghai International Film Festival is screening the entire six-film saga.

It's all in preparation for the release of a seventh Star Wars film, The Force Awakens, which will hit Chinese cinemas in December.

Why should you care?

For starters, the kids in your life (both the regular and adult varieties) are probably going to love it.

This means you're going to be badgered to buy them the toy version of a Jedi's weapon of choice, the lightsaber, which they will probably use to attack you.

Or, like I did, they are going to unwind reams of toilet paper and use toilet rolls and sticky tape to make their own lightsaber: which they will also probably use to attack you.

Incidentally, the little Jedi in your life are most likely going to "sense a Sith" when they discover the lightsaber (a fictional weapon) is currently on the Beijing subway system's banned items list.

You're going to have to appreciate why making the Kessel run in under 12 parsecs is impressive, and why you should always "let the wookie win".

By the way, if you're already a fan, please know that no Bothans died to bring you this information.

Contact the writer at josephcatanzaro@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 06/08/2015 page2)