Silkpunk is an aesthetic posesing some similarities to Steampunk but centered around East Asian (mainly Chinese) art and philosophy. The term was conjoined by the author Ken Liu to describe his 2015 book The Grace of Kings and he mentions that it shouldn't be confused with chinese science fiction due to his specific narrative, as he was writing Dandelion Dynasty series. Ken Liu described silkpunk as "a blend of science fiction and fantasy [that] draws inspiration from classical East Asian antiquity", with a "technology vocabulary (...) based on organic materials historically important to East Asia (bamboo, paper, silk) and seafaring cultures of the Pacific (coconut, feathers, coral)".

The aesthetic makes heavy use of pagodas, wooden/bamboo/paper mechanical objects (such as automata), similar to steampunk but more organic materials. Silkpunk inventions also include compasses and gunpowder.