The three-body problem is a well-known challenge in physics. It envisions a minimalist universe with only three point masses moving under mutual gravitational interactions. Even in such a simplified universe, modern ­physics and mathematics ­cannot fully predict their ­motions. How many unknown mysteries does the real ­universe, so vast and immensely complex, hold? That realization deeply shocked me. I began to imagine a real galaxy made of three stars, and myself as a witness watching them move in chaotic, unpredictable orbits. This vision became the seed of The Three-Body Problem.

It started as a short story, but over the years it grew in my mind like a plant, eventually becoming a trilogy that fully depicts a war between ­humanity and an alien ­civilization. The series was originally titled Remembrance of Earth's Past. In writing science fiction, I have always striven to give distant science fiction ideas, far removed from reality, a texture of realism and authenticity.

In The Three-Body Problem, you can also see that effort: I wanted to strip away or even eliminate the legendary elements of science fiction, and instead use realism to build a weighty, true-feeling history of the future. Back then, with some arrogance, I hoped to write a science fiction version of War and Peace.

However, the attempt was not successful; the method of realism alone could not sustain such a vast imagined world. Despite this, in the end, The Three-Body Problem became a novel full of legendary color, and the original title of the series, Remembrance of Earth's Past, was abandoned.

The Three-Body Problem began its overseas publication 10 years ago, first in English. I am grateful to its Chinese agency, China Education ­Publishing and Media Group Ltd, and its original Chinese publisher, Science Fiction World magazine. It was their outstanding efforts that made the trilogy's international publication a reality. Looking back now, every decision made during the publishing process - whether in ­choosing the foreign publisher or in promotion - proved correct and farsighted. This is without doubt a classic success story for Chinese literature abroad.

Even so, as the author and as a fan familiar with the century-long, often difficult history of Chinese science fiction, I still feel a sense of unreality about everything The ­Three-Body Problem has experienced overseas. To borrow the words of an astronomer describing a star: If it hadn't actually happened, it would have been easy to prove that it was impossible.

The most common explanation for The Three-Body Problem's overseas publication success is that it allows the outside world to understand China through the perspective of science fiction - an unprecedented perspective. However, I believe this view is inaccurate. As a US scholar pointed out, if it were only a matter of learning about China, the novel could never have gained such influence or amassed such a large readership in the English-speaking world.

The success of The Three-Body Problem abroad is the result of many complex factors, including chance. While the precise reasons remain elusive, I believe it may relate to two key characteristics inherent in science fiction.

First of all, science fiction is inherently a global form of literature. In science fiction, humanity appears as a whole; national or racial distinctions don't matter, and all share the identity of Earthlings. Meanwhile, the crises and challenges described in science fiction are ones humanity faces together, and the bright futures described are ones dreamed by all. Therefore, science fiction is the literary genre best able to transcend cultures and races, resonating with all of humanity.

In The Three-Body Problem, the theme of contact with an alien civilization is a problem that faces all humanity. Contrary to common perception, it is a deeply realistic issue. An alien ­civilization represents the greatest uncertainty facing humanity: it may never appear, or it could arrive tomorrow - and if the latter happens, it will completely overturn reality and the destiny before us.

Contact between humanity and alien civilizations is one of the most important themes in science fiction literature. Yet for many years, most alien-focused science fiction - represented by US works - depicted such encounters often far in the future, and often in distant space. Even closer-to-reality stories, like Ted Chiang's Story of Your Life, are confined to limited settings. A panoramic portrayal like The Three-Body Problem, where an alien civilization arrives in the near future, is rare in recent years, making its broad appeal among readers understandable.

Science fiction has another key feature. For science fiction novels to have a significant impact, besides the content of the works themselves, they also come from rapidly developing advanced countries, which is quite different from realist literature. Science fiction literature was born in early 19th-century Britain and shifted rapidly to the developing US in the early 20th century. Today, the global influence of The Three-Body Problem is closely tied to the process of China's modernization. It is precisely this great process that has made China a country full of a sense of the future and has brought global attention to Chinese science fiction. The momentum of this era should be the deepest reason behind the success of The Three-Body Problem.

In addition to the factors mentioned above, one more point needs to be considered: Since the turn of the 21st century, world science fiction literature has undergone profound changes. The genre has matured from a young literary form, but has lost some of its youthful energy. The passion for gazing at the stars and exploring new worlds has cooled. The focus of science fiction literature has gradually shifted from the cosmos inward, toward humanity itself, paying more attention to real-world issues such as racial discrimination, gender conflicts, environmental problems, and the alienation caused by biotechnology. In this way, the golden age of science fiction novels has come to an end. This trend also appears in Chinese science fiction and has been labeled "science fiction realism."

Yet among readers in the US, recent best-selling science fiction novels still follow the golden age model, such as Andy Weir's The Martian and Project Hail Mary, and James S.A. Corey's The Expanse series. This shows that the principles of the golden age of science fiction literature still retain powerful vitality and appeal. The Three-Body Problem was created under this very ethos. While evoking nostalgia among a broad range of science fiction readers, it also introduces a fresh imaginative world. I believe this is a key reason why it has had such an impact on overseas readers.

The international spread of The Three-Body Problem offers some lessons for promoting Chinese culture abroad. As China's national strength grows, its culture will inevitably exert increasing influence on the world. But such influence will not come from repeating traditional culture - it will come from new, forward-looking cultural expressions. I hope that more outstanding Chinese science fiction works can reach international readers, showcasing China's evolving vision of the stars and the future.

The author Liu Cixin is a celebrated science fiction writer and Hugo Award-winning novelist. The article was originally published in Chinese in the People's Daily on September 16.

Source: Global Times:
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Contact Person: Anna Li
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