2024-03-25 07:24:01
[The Epoch Times, March 25, 2024](Compiled and reported by Epoch Times reporter Ye Zijie) After the new science fiction series “The Three-Body Problem” premiered on March 21, it has become Netflix’s most watched series in the world. The series was banned by the Chinese Communist Party following it opened with the death of a professor during the Cultural Revolution.
According to data from FlixPatrol, “3 Body Problem” is currently Netflix’s number one series worldwide, surpassing “The Gentlemen”. At the same time, in the United States, the show currently ranks second in ratings, second only to the documentary series “Homicide: New York.”
“The Three-Body Problem” is adapted from the novel of the same name by Lui Cixin, with a total of eight episodes, each episode is regarding one hour long. The story spans time, as well as China, Europe, and the United States, and focuses primarily on humanity’s preparations for an alien invasion.
There are two timelines in the story, one taking place in modern times and the other taking place during the Chinese Cultural Revolution in the 1960s. It opens with a scene depicting China’s Cultural Revolution, in which a professor at a Beijing university kneels and cowers in front of an angry mob, being mocked and eventually beaten to death because he refuses to give up on some ideas, such as Einstein’s theory of relativity.
Stills from “3 Body Problem”. (Courtesy of Netflix)
“The Three-Body Problem” co-producers David Benioff, DB Weiss and Alexander Woo discussed the film’s anti-authoritarianism in a 2022 interview color.
Banneuve told The Hollywood Reporter: “In terms of human history, we believe that there is a cycle that drives it, and we are going through a period of this cycle now. The era we are in now has nothing to do with the Cultural Revolution. There are a lot of very significant differences between the periods, but there are also some similarities. We never said, ‘We want to comment on this, so we should do this show.’ But the interesting thing is that the similarities are there, and it’s difficult to Ignore.”
“The Three-Body Problem” co-producers (from left) Alexander Woo, David Benioff and DB Weiss (courtesy of Netflix)
According to foreign media reports, it is worth noting that this Cultural Revolution episode did not appear in the 30-episode adaptation released by Tencent in 2023. Therefore, some people accused the CCP of trying to erase from history the atrocities of the Cultural Revolution once morest all Chinese people.
Rosalind Chao, the Chinese-American actress who plays the elderly “Ye Wenjie” in “The Three-Body Problem”, shared her thoughts on the Cultural Revolution scenes and the story adaptation to “The Hollywood Reporter” on the 23rd, “I think it is important to have an international version of the story. I can’t stand the narrow-mindedness. Is it okay for me to say that? I like that the film has become more international and suitable for a wider audience.”
Zhao Jialing said: “If I say this, I may be blacklisted by (the Chinese Communist Party) in China, but I have a cousin who was locked up (in China) and lived with pigs for 10 years. He is now in the United States, I found out regarding it when he didn’t want ham for Thanksgiving.”
“They don’t talk regarding it. It’s so ingrained that they don’t talk regarding it, but it’s an important part of history, and it’s exciting to tell it here in a science fiction way. Learn regarding the history of the world and what made people who they are. Look, this is very important.”
A still from “3 Body Problem”, showing Rosalind Chao who plays the elderly “Ye Wenjie”. (Courtesy of Netflix)
The story of “The Three-Body Problem” describes China in the 1960s. A young woman’s crucial decision set off waves across time and space, deeply affecting modern times. As the laws of nature begin to unravel before their eyes, for reasons unknown, a tight-knit group of brilliant scientists must team up with a dogged detective to defuse the greatest threat in human history.
In the film, Ye Wenjie has been proficient in astrophysics since she was a child, but following losing everything during the Cultural Revolution in China, she always felt that she was alone in the universe. The decisions she made in the 1960s caused ripples that spanned hundreds of years, and will still have a huge impact even at the end of time.
Netflix has not yet renewed the show for a second season, but Baneuve and Weiss told Collider that they are already working on storylines for next season.
Stills from “3 Body Problem”. (Courtesy of Netflix)Stills from “3 Body Problem”. (Courtesy of Netflix)
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．Yue Shan: The American version of “The Three-Body Problem” touches on the secrets of collusion between high-level officials of the Chinese Communist Party
．[Qin Peng Observation]”The Three-Body Problem” was released and became a satire on the leader of the Communist Party of China?
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