Chinese nationalists have issues with “3 Body Problem”
The show is a hit in the West. But its history lesson is not for everyone
The book is full of technical jargon, with copious references to particle accelerators and nanotechnology. The story, about Earth preparing for an alien invasion, is dark. Nevertheless, “The Three-Body Problem” by Liu Cixin has been a huge hit in China since it was published in 2008. It was translated into English in 2014 and quickly gathered awards and fans in the West, too. Most readers rejoiced when Netflix, an American streaming giant, announced in 2020 that it was turning the novel into a big-budget television series.
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This article appeared in the China section of the print edition under the headline “Three-body shaming”
From the March 30th 2024 edition
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