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With the new English version of Liu Cixin’s Totem novel series, the world is once again paying attention to Chinese science fiction.
you know three body problem. Even if you’ve never read the book, every science fiction fan, world literature lover, and pet dog has heard the name.The catchy name is the marketable English title of a series of novels by Chinese author Liu Cixin Earth’s past memories (2006-10), and now, 3 Physical problemsa new Netflix TV adaptation helmed by David Benioff and Dan Weiss. game of thrones (2011–2019), it seems to have caught the attention of everyone from old-school Heinlein nerds to “not really science fiction” literary scholars.
But in fact, it’s not just this “new” science fiction novel that actually seems to be making waves. Chinese Science fiction. The very notion that this vast country, which Western readers knew primarily from its library of classic novels and harrowing biographies, could produce anything creative and positive seemed anathema. That was until 2015, when Liu won the Hugo Award, science fiction’s Oscar, and the West began to “discover” Chinese detective fiction. Three bodies Since then, the book has become such an entry-level piece for English-speaking readers that I, as a speaker and consultant, have found it in my little bag of icebreakers along with food, movies, and Chinese drama. We know that you can create touchstone moments of both comfort and comfort. excitement.
when Memory earth’s past was first published in 2006 to relatively positive reviews, but it wasn’t until a translator was found and he achieved success in the West that China truly embraced Liu Cixin as a monumental figure. At last year’s Chengdu Worldcon convention, which aimed to celebrate the diversity of science fiction in China and the world, the centerpiece of the convention venue was a 10-meter-tall replica of Liu’s BenBen rover. wandering earth. The line for his autograph circled the building multiple times. At the opening ceremony, he himself was seen on stage shaking hands with his beloved teachers and students, with tears in his eyes. All this is a natural part of the Chinese spectacle, but at that moment the country discovered that his science fiction was a profitable export. The three-body universe IP has now become its flagship product.
This concept has exploded into a multimedia orbit. Manga (manga), Donghua (animation), and games have all introduced adaptations within their worlds. Three bodies Degesis. Stage shows and exhibitions followed. And his 33-episode Chinese series from Tencent brought this story to a broader Chinese public. They have typically associated the language of science fiction with their teaching materials, and it appears they were just as enamored with its magic as foreign audiences. Tencent’s series is already available on several streaming services, but Netflix hopes its new release will be the definitive international version, with an international cast and a more global scope, but at the same time. It is also cut off from the broader literary tradition that has nurtured Tencent. Three bodies world.
From early works such as The story of the moon colony (1904) by Huang Jiang Diao-chan The speculative exploration of Chinese literature never really stopped, even during the harshest period of its history. Liu Cixin was preceded by writers such as Zheng Wenguang, Tong Enzheng, and Ye Yonglie, who were pioneers of modern Chinese interplanetary fiction. He is accompanied by contemporaries such as Wang Jinkang, Han Song, and Lin Chen, who are known for their stories of space exploration and navigation. And several generations of young writers have followed in his footsteps, creating an increasingly diverse range of fiction. Although the space mania surrounding the US moon landing in 1969 had relatively little impact on communist-era China, which by then was cut off from the outside world, many people born in the era, including Liu Cixin himself, Writers became the first generation of the universe. Writers since Mao Zedong have used this genre to explore the dichotomy between the harshness of recent history and the opportunity to consider where the future might lead.
new interest in Three bodies The world cannot be created by chance. After all, China has finally entered its own space age. As China’s moon exploration program, Tianwen-1 Mars mission, and Tiangong space station continue to publish their achievements, and as society’s interest in astronomy increases, so does the demand for space epics among novice space travelers.・Imagination expands. Authors such as Wen Jiu Rou, Hui Hu, and Shisi use their extraterrestrial imaginations to examine a variety of contemporary concerns, from viruses and ethnic tensions to posthuman and capitalist/consumerist anxieties. doing. Perhaps the most memorable is the work of Hao Jingfan. Wanderer (2016) imagine Mars as a former colony of Earth in a story in which diplomacy and rapid resource depletion are extended to an interplanetary level.
There is certainly a “Chineseness” to it, but three bodies, From its engagement with Taoist and Confucian philosophies, the development of Chinese science fiction was inseparable from cultural exchange with the outside world, and translations of Verne, Wells, Asimov, and Clark were influential at various stages in the 20th century. It has had an important influence. The secret of Liu’s worldwide success lies not only in its novelty as a work of world literature, but also in its echoes of the civilizational grandeur of Arthur C. Clarke and the dystopian feeling of Evgeny Zamyatin and Aldous Huxley. Maybe. Essentially, this is the story of history that shapes the human condition, and our interactions with other life forms whose lives are completely disconnected from our shared experiences.
Netflix producers have made this clear. 3 Physical problems is a reinterpretation of the original work for a worldwide audience with the permission of the author. As a writer and translator of Chinese culture, I am always wary of removing native elements to suit “world tastes”. Although doing so risks diluting the original content, making it less appealing and even incomprehensible, a global approach seems appropriate in this case. . The show, which highlights the sense that a global disaster is imminent and humanity’s survival at stake, reassures English-speaking audiences by casting familiar names and directing (Alexander・Wu) and a wide range of actors, wisely casting highly talented Asian actors. Color to create a full, rounded cast. There’s Raj Varma (played by Sameer Usmani) who is undeniably handsome. Xin Cheng (Jess Hong), Saul Durand (Jovan Adepo), and Clarence Shi (Benedict Wong) are the most level-headed characters in the midst of strange events that throw the world’s brightest minds into existential crisis. There are three of him.
If we replace Britain with modern China, 3 Physical problems was a major adaptation of the Chinese story, with varying degrees of success. Set in London and Oxford, the producers strive to portray the multicultural society of their protagonists, from interracial relationships and mixed-race characters to Buddhist funerals and Chinese memorial ceremonies held in Oxford. It took some effort. The rather solitary, research-centered lives of Chinese scientists are localized in the open mic nights, pub camaraderie and smoker chats of Oxford residents. The show’s gritty British sci-fi style matches well with the dystopian atmosphere of the original novels, with salt-of-the-earth British attitudes conveying the grandeur of stories that stretch across time, space and reality. It is based on scale and has been called ultra-sleek and futuristic. For example, VR Visor’s “shiny bicycle helmet” is a welcome splash of humor. The story is far more fast-paced than Tencent’s long, creepy series, with a dramatic climax juxtaposed between 1960s China and 2000s London and Oxford encounters.
My concern is with the content of the show do not have So it’s an adaptation of the early history of alien encounters. Keeping China’s historical background unique and Westernizing its modern environment has a double effect. The former is painted in a negative tone with the brushstrokes of the destructive Cultural Revolution, while the latter reinforces the Eurocentric narrative of the West as a place of progress and liberation. The producers seem to be well aware of the issue of gender representation in Liu Zixin’s work. A great deal of effort was made to bring the female representation in line with modern Western feminism, replacing the original male protagonist Wang Miao with two female protagonists, Jing Chen and Auggie Salazar (Eiza Gonzalez). , she dazzles the guys at the pub with her super smartness.
If there is a story that unites the world, science fiction must surely play that role. Whether you’re in Chicago or Chongqing, there are universal truths and equally universal reactions to having such truths blocked. The current desire for new stories from other cultures rebels against the overwhelming climate of alienation that is said to define the modern world. As a Chinese immigrant writer living in the UK, I am very proud to see his science fiction novels in China being adapted internationally. Whether or not the new show captures everything that fans around the world have gleaned from Liu Cixin’s books, it will undoubtedly generate global buzz.
Xueting C. Ni is an award-winning writer, translator, and curator of Chinese culture based in London.
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