Liu Cixin’s the Three-Body Problem book trilogy is one of the world’s bestselling Chinese sci-fi series, being read and endorsed by figures such as George R.R. Martin and Barack Obama. In Chinese public debates, however, critics highlight the series’ social Darwinist, misogynistic, and totalitarian tendencies, raising concerns about how the trilogy has been used by […]
I don't really agree with this and totally fucking love these books. However, it is a fairly interesting essay.
I think for me the misogyny is less pronounced (still problematic) than ageism and the boomerism are in his work.
Liu focus on theme/ideas before good characters, he talks about it in an interview where the characters are “unhuman” because he uses them represents concept. I think he explicitly uses (his word) Luo ji and chengxin as example. Luoji, a man, represents logic and cold and calculation and Cheng Xin, a woman, represents emotion, heart (humanism) which is super problematic itself.
In the second book, it is represented that the status quo of the dark forest which requires logic and game theory to annihilate others to survive. However, Chengxin’s humanism is portrayed as seeing the wrongness of the dark forest. I think the end of the trilogy proves her right. I think Liu tries to convey that cold and lack of humanism is ultimately the downfall of the civilization, but since he is not focus on writing good characters (i personally think he is a bad writer and never talk to women) makes it looks at the end as some gendered (and cishet normative) deterministic take that it makes my eyes roll.
As of his ageism (shown in the bunker era of 3BP being post-gendered, effeminate, weak , also in his book supernova era and also that novella about filial poety) is a belief that he unironically holds.
Tldr he is a bad writer with some ok world building, but since he is the first chinese sci-fi writer that made it to the mainstream, we have to suffer his writings.
Edit: it happens that better chinese scifi books are written by women authors like Hao Jingfang and Xia Jia
I think for me the misogyny is less pronounced (still problematic) than ageism and the boomerism are in his work.
Liu focus on theme/ideas before good characters, he talks about it in an interview where the characters are “unhuman” because he uses them represents concept. I think he explicitly uses (his word) Luo ji and chengxin as example. Luoji, a man, represents logic and cold and calculation and Cheng Xin, a woman, represents emotion, heart (humanism) which is super problematic itself.
In the second book, it is represented that the status quo of the dark forest which requires logic and game theory to annihilate others to survive. However, Chengxin’s humanism is portrayed as seeing the wrongness of the dark forest. I think the end of the trilogy proves her right. I think Liu tries to convey that cold and lack of humanism is ultimately the downfall of the civilization, but since he is not focus on writing good characters (i personally think he is a bad writer and never talk to women) makes it looks at the end as some gendered (and cishet normative) deterministic take that it makes my eyes roll.
As of his ageism (shown in the bunker era of 3BP being post-gendered, effeminate, weak , also in his book supernova era and also that novella about filial poety) is a belief that he unironically holds.
Tldr he is a bad writer with some ok world building, but since he is the first chinese sci-fi writer that made it to the mainstream, we have to suffer his writings.
Edit: it happens that better chinese scifi books are written by women authors like Hao Jingfang and Xia Jia
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Oh wow I didn’t know about the editor asking him to do some changes to the character.
This confirms that STEMslord like Liu can’t write once again
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Liu is certainly a 工具
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I think this furthers a discussion on Gender roles in modern Chinese (where liu and I are from) society
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