 "Netflix's controversial 3 Body Problem: Why is the series causing outrage in China")
Cinema can be hugely political and controversial too. It is basically the lens with which you are looking at it. Movies have the power to create impact on people and shape and influence politics and society’s behaviour. Netflix’s 3 Body Problem is based on the 2008 novel by Liu Cixin and brought to the small screen by Game of Thrones creators D.B. Weiss and David Benioff, the series tells the story of an impending alien invasion of Earth. And why is it controversial and causing outrage in China?
Well, Lin Qi, a billionaire who helped produce the science-fiction hit, was poisoned to death by a disgruntled executive. His attacker now faces the death penalty. As the New York Times report says, Lin Qi was a billionaire with a dream. The video game tycoon had wanted to turn one of China’s most famous science-fiction novels, _3 Body Problem_ into a global hit. He had started working with Netflix and the creators of the HBO series Game of Thrones to bring the alien invasion saga to international audiences. But sadly, Lin Qi did not live to see The Three-Body Problem premiere on Netflix last month.
From then on it has become a huge point of conversation globally. It was on top position on Netflix streaming charts and gained traction all over the world. Following Lin’s death, Yoozoo issued a statement on its official Weibo microblog which read, “Goodbye youth… We will be together, continue to be kind, continue to believe in goodness, and continue the fight against all that is bad.”
In an editorial published on its website, China Military Online called the Netflix series an example of American “cultural hegemony.”
About Netflix’s The Three-Body Problem
The story of Netflix’s The Three-Body Problem is engaging and the sci-fi series places a special emphasis on China (the home country of the book’s author, Liu Cixin).
According to CNN, the struggle session scene and death of Ye Wenjie’s father takes place in the middle of the original Chinese version of 3 Body Problem — this apparently contradicts certain reports that it is simply absent from that version due to censorship as per a report published in looper.com.
The cause for outrage in China
However, the report says that the English version, expertly translated by Ken Liu, moves the scene to the beginning of the book with Liu Cixin’s approval. This explains its leading role in the show’s debut. Despite being technically book-accurate, this immediately sets a negative tone for China and the Cultural Revolution, and some Chinese viewers consider the scene to paint their country in a particularly harsh light.
Since its release on 21 March, 3 Body Problem debuted with 11 million views in its first four days and has remained among Netflix’s most-watched programmes earning positive reviews in China.
WATCH the trailer of Netflix’s 3 Body Problem here:
(With added inputs from agencies)
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