Netflix’s three-body problem faces controversy in China

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The opening scene of 3 Body Problem faces backlash from Chinese viewers.

The Netflix science fiction series 3 Body problem has sparked intense debates among viewers in China.



Based on Liu Cixin’s 2008 Hugo Award-winning novel, 3 Body problem portrays humanity preparing for an alien invasion. The controversial opening sequence is set in 1966, during the Chinese Cultural Revolution, at a university in Beijing. In the scene, a physics teacher is brutally attacked by communist Red Guards for opposing the government’s ideologies, while a jeering crowd looks on. The series was a trend on Chinese social networks with cnn reporting that it had incited “nationalist anger” in China. Some spectators accused Hollywood of intentionally portraying China in a negative light through its depiction of the Red Guards..


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David Benioff, the co-showrunner of 3 Body problem alongside Dan Weiss and Alexander Woo, addressed the scene’s anti-authoritarian undertones during a 2022 set visit. Benioff told the Hollywood Reporter: “We tend to move in cycles in terms of human history, and we’re going through a certain period of the cycle. at the moment. There are many very significant differences between the current era and the Cultural Revolution. But there are also some similarities. It was never something where we thought, ‘We should do this show because we want to make a comment on that.’ But it is interesting that the parallels exist and are difficult to ignore.”



The sequence was absent in a Chinese adaptation

The sequence was notably absent from the 30-episode Chinese adaptation released in 2023 by Tencent. Critics have accused the Chinese Communist Party of trying to erase the Cultural Revolution and its atrocities from history and popular culture. Others criticized “politically correct” alterations to the story, such as the Netflix version that features a more diverse international cast and moves the story to London and away from the original Chinese setting. The hashtag “Chinese version wins” was trending, in reference to the Tencent adaptation.

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Rosalind Chao, who plays the adult Ye Wenjie in 3 Body problem shared his thoughts with THR on the show’s Cultural Revolution scenes and adaptations, stating, “I think it’s important to have an international version of the story. Narrow-mindedness drives me a little crazy. Am I okay to say that? I love that this has been made more international for a broader audience. I’ll probably get blacklisted more in China for saying this. They don’t talk about the Revolution. It’s too ingrained to be discussed, although it’s a big part of the story and the fact that it can be told here in a way that also encompasses the science fiction genre is kind of exciting. “It’s important for people to understand world history and what makes people the way they are.”


3 Body problem It is currently available to stream on Netflix.

Source: CNN

Book cover 3 body problems

3 Body problem

Release date
2023-00-00

Cast
Benedict Wong, Jess Hong, Saamer Usmani with Shailene Woodley, Eiza González, John Bradley, Liam Cunningham, Rosalind Chao, Alex Sharp

Main genre
Science fiction

Seasons
1


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