Liu Cixin(Chinese:Lưu từ hân;pinyin:Liú Cíxīn,pronounced[ljǒʊ tsʰɨ̌ɕín];born 23 June 1963)[1]is a Chinese computer engineer andscience fictionwriter. He is a nine-time winner of China'sGalaxy Awardand has also received the 2015Hugo Awardfor hisnovelThe Three-Body Problemas well as the 2017Locus AwardforDeath's End.He is also a winner of the ChineseNebula Award.[2]In English translations of his works, his name is given asCixin Liu.He is a member of China Science Writers Association and the vice president of Shanxi Writers Association.[3]He is sometimes called "Da Liu" ( "Big Liu" ) by his fellow science fiction writers in China.[4]
Liu Cixin | |
|---|---|
 Liu in 2017 | |
| Native name | Lưu từ hân |
| Born | 23 June 1963 Beijing,China |
| Occupation |
|
| Alma mater | North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power |
| Period | 1989–present |
| Genre | Science fiction |
| Notable works | Remembrance of Earth's Past |
| Notable awards | Galaxy Award;Hugo Award |
| Liu Cixin | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | Lưu từ hân | ||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | Lưu từ hân | ||||||||
| |||||||||
Life and career
editLiu was born on 23 June 1963 in Beijing and raised inYangquan,Shanxi,[4]where his parents had been sent to work in the mines.[5]Due to the violence of theCultural Revolutionhe was sent to live in his ancestral home inLuoshan County,Henan.[6]Liu graduated from theNorth China University of Water Conservancy and Electric Powerin 1988. He then worked as a computer engineer at a power plant inShanxiprovince.[7]
Writing
edit
Liu cites English authorsGeorge OrwellandArthur C. Clarkeas important literary influences.[8]He was labeled the firstcyberpunkChinese author after his novelChina 2185was published in 1989.[9]Liu's most famous work,The Three-Body Problem,was first published in 2006.[10]It is the first book in theRemembrance of Earth's Pasttrilogy. American authorKen Liu's 2014 translation (published byTor Books) won the 2015Hugo Award for Best Novel,and the book sold 1,200,000 copies in China before it won.[10][11]Liu Cixin thus became the first author from Asia to win Best Novel.[12]The German translation (which included some portions of the original text not included in the English translation) followed in 2016.[13]Ken Liu also translated the third volume ofThe Three-Body Problemseries,Death's End,in 2016.[14]Death's Endwas a 2017Hugo Award for Best Novelfinalist and won a 2017Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel.
Liu'sRemembrance of Earth's Pasttrilogy has been a sensation of Chinese science fiction literature within Chinese territory and internationally. In 2012, the winner of the Nobel Prize of Literature,Mo Yan,acclaimed the remarkable originality of Liu Cixin.[10]Liu's fiction focuses primarily on problems such as social inequality, scientific development and ecological limitations that impact humanity.[15]
Adaptations
editChinese video platformTencent Videoreleaseda series based onThe Three-Body Problemin January 2023.[16]
A cinematic adaptation ofThe Three-Body Problemhas been filmed, but its release has been indefinitely postponed.[17]In March 2018,Amazonwas rumored to be negotiating for the rights to the project.[18][19]However, YooZoo Pictures released a statement in response stating that it was the "sole owner of the rights for film and TV series adaptations."[19]Although it "was originally scheduled to be released in 2017," the project "was postponed indefinitely due to the company's internal shuffling and the rumored 'bad quality' of the film's first cut."[19]In June 2019, it was reported that work had begun on an animated adaptation,[20]and in 2020, October Media announced another adaptation in the works.[21]
Thecinematic adaptationof his short storyThe Wandering Earthwas released in China on 5 February 2019,[22]which became thesecond highest-grossing film in the Chinese box officewithin 2 weeks.[23]
The science-fiction comedy filmCrazy Alien,adapted from his science fiction short storyThe Village Teacher,had grossed 2.2 billion at the box office, making it the fifteenth film in Chinese film history with a box office exceeding 2 billion.[24]
US streaming platformNetflixannounced in September 2020 that it had ordered an English-language series based on Liu's well-known trilogyThe Three-Body Problem.Liu would serve as a consulting producer on the project.David BenioffandD.B. Weisswere named as writers and executive producers. Other members of the creative team included executive producerRian Johnson,Ram Bergman,Bernadette Caulfield,Nena Rodrigue, Lin Qi, andRosamund Pike.[25]The Netflix television adaptation started production in early November 2021, with a scheduled finish date in August 2022.[26]In November 2023, Netflix released a sneak peek and announced that the drama would be released 21 March 2024.[27]
Chinese video sharing websiteBilibilireleased aseries exploring the science of Liu Cixin's science fictionin November 2022.[28]
Films and TV works
edit| Year | Work | Type | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | The Wandering Earth | Movie | Original, Executive Producer |
| 2019 | Crazy Alien | Movie | Original |
| 2021 | Earth Rescue Day( mạt nhật chửng cứu ) | Movie | Screenwriter |
| 2022 | Rendezvous with the Future | TV series | Main Interviewee |
| 2023 | Three-Body | TV series | Original |
| 2023 | The Wandering Earth 2 | Movie | Executive Producer |
| 2024 | 3 Body Problem | TV series | Consulting Producer |
Personal life
editLiu is married and has a daughter.[29]
Political views
editThis section maylendundue weightto certain ideas, incidents, or controversies.(April 2024) |
In a June 2019 interview published inThe New Yorker,interviewerJiayang Fanfound that Liu "prefers to avoid" talking about politics. In the same article, Liu stated that democracy was not appropriate formodern China.When probed by Fan about "individual liberty and freedom of governance", Liu said that this is "not what Chinese people care about", adding "If you were to loosen up the country a bit, the consequences would be terrifying." He expressed support for policies such as theone-child policyandChina's Xinjiang policies,saying "Would you rather that they be hacking away at bodies at train stations and schools in terrorist attacks? If anything, the government is helping their economy and trying to lift them out of poverty."[30]
Liu's works (including some of his adaptations) contain various subtle and plot-wide criticisms of actions of theChinese Communist Party.In one such case, Liu moved a brutalstruggle sessionfrom where it was hidden in the middle of the book to the beginning ofThe Three Body Problem's English translation, when suggested by his translator,Ken Liu.In response to the prominently placed plot point, Liu Cixin acted positively and replied "That is how I wanted it originally!"[31]The Netflix adaptation, where Liu Cixin was also aConsulting Producer,also starts with the struggle session.[32]Liu Cixin's Chinese publisherschoseto place the politically charged scene in the middle of the book instead of the beginning, in order to get pastgovernment censors.[31][32]
Polish science fiction criticWojciech Orlińskiargued that Liu's works such asRemembrance of Earth's PastandThe Wandering Earthrepresent endorsement of concepts ofworld government,consequentialismas well as tacit approval of "China'ssurveillanceandcontrol society".[33]
Bibliography
editNovels
edit- China 2185( trung quốc 2185) (1989)
- The Devil's Bricks( ma quỷ tích mộc ) (2002)
- Supernova Era( siêu tân tinh kỷ nguyên ) (2003)
- Ball Lightning( cầu trạng thiểm điện ) (2004)
- TheRemembrance of Earth's Past( địa cầu vãng sự ) trilogy:
- The Three-Body Problem( tam thể ) (2006)
- The Dark Forest( hắc ám sâm lâm ) (2008)
- Death's End( tử thần vĩnh sinh ) (2010)
- Of Ants and Dinosaurs(2010), also published asThe Cretaceous Past(2021)
Works of short fiction
edit- "End of the Microcosmos"( vi quan tẫn đầu ) (Science Fiction World)
1999
- "Whale Song"( kình ca ) (Science Fiction World)
- "With Her Eyes"( đái thượng tha đích nhãn tình ) (Science Fiction World)
- "Contraction"( than súc ) (Science Fiction World)
2000
- "Fire in the Earth" ( địa hỏa ) (Science Fiction World)
- The Wandering Earth( lưu lãng địa cầu ) (Science Fiction World)
2001
- "The Village Teacher"( hương thôn giáo sư ) (Science Fiction World)
- "Full Spectrum Barrage Jamming" ( toàn tần đái trở tắc càn nhiễu ) (Science Fiction World)
- "The Micro-Era"( vi kỷ nguyên ) (Science Fiction World)
2002
- "Butterfly"( hỗn độn hồ điệp ) ( khoa huyễn đại vương )
- "Devourer"( thôn thực giả ) (Science Fiction World)
- "Sea of Dreams"( mộng chi hải ) (Science Fiction World)
- "Destiny"( mệnh vận )
- "Heard It in the Morning"( triều văn đạo )
- "Sun of China"( trung quốc thái dương ) (Science Fiction World)
- "The Angel Era" ( thiên sử thời đại ) (Science Fiction World)
- "The Messenger"( tín sử ) (Science Fiction World)
- Tây dương
2003
- "The Glory and the Dream" ( quang vinh dữ mộng tưởng ) (Science Fiction World)
- "Cloud of Poems"( thi vân ) (Science Fiction World), also known asCloud of Poems
- "Cannonball"( địa cầu đại pháo ) (Science Fiction World)
- "The Thinker" ( tư tưởng giả ) (Science Fiction World)
2004
- "Mirror" ( kính tử ) (Science Fiction World)
- "Yuanyuan's Bubbles" ( viên viên đích phì tạo phao )
2005
- "Taking Care of God"( thiệm dưỡng thượng đế ) (Science Fiction World)
- "For the Benefit of Mankind"( thiệm dưỡng nhân loại ) (Science Fiction World)
- "Ode to Joy" ( hoan nhạc tụng ) ( cửu châu huyễn tưởng )
2006
- "Mountain"( sơn ) (Science Fiction World)
2009
- "2018-04-01"(2018 niên 4 nguyệt 1 nhật )
- "Moonlight" ( nguyệt dạ ) ( sinh hoạt )
2010
- "Curse 5.0"( thái nguyên chi luyến ) ( cửu châu huyễn tưởng )
2011
- Thiêu hỏa công (guokr.com)
2014
- "The Circle" ( viên ) (Carbide Tipped Pens: Seventeen Tales of Hard Science Fiction)
- "Time Migration" ( thời gian di dân )
2016
- "The Weight of Memories" ( nhân sinh )
2018
- "Fields of Gold" ( hoàng kim nguyên dã ) (Twelve Tomorrows)
Collections
edit2003
- Ái nhân tư thản xích đạo
2004
- With Her Eyes( đái thượng tha đích nhãn tình )
2008
- The Wandering Earth( lưu lãng địa cầu )
- Ma quỷ tích mộc · bạch ác kỷ vãng sự
2014
- Time Migration( thời gian di dân )
- 2018
2020
2024
Essays
edit2003
- Văn minh đích phản hướng khoách trương (Science Fiction World)
- Viễn hàng! Viễn hàng! (Science Fiction World)
Awards
edit| Year | Title | Award | Category | Result | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Đái thượng tha đích nhãn tình | (With Her Eyes) | Yinhe (Galaxy Award (China)) | Awarded[34] | ||
| 2005 | Thiệm dưỡng nhân loại | (Support Human Beings) | Awarded | |||
| 2006 | Tam thể | (The Three-Body Problem) | Awarded | |||
| 2015 | Thiệm dưỡng thượng đế | (¿Quién cuidará de los dioses?) | Ignotus Awards | Foreign Short Stories | Nominated[35] | |
| Tam thể | Hugo Award | Best Novel | Awarded[36] | |||
| (The Three-Body Problem) | John W. Campbell Memorial Award | — | Nominated[37] | |||
| Locus Award | Best SF Novel | Nominated[38] | ||||
| Nebula Award | Best Novel | Nominated[39] | ||||
| Prometheus Award | — | Nominated[40] | ||||
| 2017 | Canopus Awards | — | Nominated[41] | |||
| (Die drei Sonnen) | Kurd-Laßwitz-Preis | Best Foreign SF work | Awarded[42] | |||
| (El problema de los tres cuerpos) | Premio Ignotus | Foreign Novel | Awarded[43] | |||
| (Le Problème à trois corps) | Grand prix de l'Imaginaire | Foreign Novel | Nominated[44] | |||
| Tử thần vĩnh sinh | (Death's End) | Dragon Award | Best Science Fiction Novel | Nominated[45] | ||
| Hugo Award | Best Novel | Nominated | ||||
| Locus Award | Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel | Awarded[46] | ||||
| 2018 | — | — | Arthur C. Clarke Award for... | — | Awarded[47] | |
| 2019 | Viên | (The Circle) | Seiun Award | Best Translated Short Story | Awarded[48] | |
| 2020 | Tam thể | (The Three-Body Problem) | Best Translated Long Work | Awarded[49] | ||
| 2021 | Tam thể II hắc ám sâm lâm | (The Dark Forest) | Best Translated Long Work | Awarded[50] | ||
| 2023 | Lưu lãng địa cầu | (The Wandering Earth) | Best Translated Short Story | Awarded[51] | ||
References
edit- ^"Summary Bibliography: Cixin Liu".ISFDB.
- ^Awards for Chinese-language science fictions announced
- ^"Liu Cixin".China Daily.18 April 2019.
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- ^Peyton, Will (2021)."Chinese and Western Literary Influence in Liu Cixin's Three Body Trilogy".Studies in Global Science Fiction.doi:10.1007/978-3-030-79315-9.ISBN978-3-030-79314-2.ISSN2569-8826.S2CID243509883.
- ^Three Body Problem: Author's postscript to the American Edition
- ^Richardson, Nick (8 February 2018)."Even what doesn't happen is epic".London Review of Books.40(3).
- ^Misra, Ria (14 January 2015)."This Is What It's Like To Write Science Fiction Novels In China".io9.Gizmodo.
- ^Martin, Nicolas (2 November 2018)."Le corps cybernétique: quand la SF s'incarne".France Culture(in French).Retrieved14 December2018.
- ^abcGaffric, Gwennaël; Peyton, Will (2019)."Liu Cixin's Three-Body Trilogy and the Status of Science Fiction in Contemporary China".Science Fiction Studies.46(1): 21–38.doi:10.5621/sciefictstud.46.1.0021.ISSN0091-7729.JSTOR10.5621/sciefictstud.46.1.0021.S2CID127705525.
- ^"2015 Hugo Awards".The Hugo Awards.31 March 2015.
- ^Chen, Andrea (24 August 2015)."Out of this world: Chinese sci-fi author Liu Cixin is Asia's first writer to win Hugo award for best novel".South China Morning Post.Retrieved27 August2015.
- ^"Deutsche Übersetzung von" The Three-Body Problem "könnte nächsten Herbst erscheinen"(in German).China Internet Information Center.1 September 2015.Retrieved8 March2017.
- ^Canavan, Gerry (12 February 2016)."Quiet, Too Quiet".Los Angeles Review of Books.Retrieved9 July2019.
- ^Thieret, Adrian (2015)."Society and Utopia in Liu Cixin".China Perspectives.1(101): 33–39.doi:10.4000/chinaperspectives.6643.ISSN2070-3449.JSTOR43392963.
- ^Tantimedh, Adi (25 June 2022)."The Three-Body Problem: New Chinese Trailer, Key Art Poster Released".Bleeding Cool News And Rumors.Retrieved8 August2022.
- ^"Premiere of Film based on Acclaimed Sci-fi Novel 'The Three-Body Problem' Pushed Back until 2017".EntGroup. 23 June 2016.Retrieved24 June2015.
- ^Desta, Yohana (27 March 2018)."Amazon's Reportedly Dropping $1 Billion for a TV Show to Rival Game of Thrones".Vanity Fair.Condé Nast.
- ^abcZhou, Jing (23 March 2018)."Rights holder won't give up 'Three-Body' series".www.china.org.cn.Retrieved19 June2018.
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- ^Linder, Alex (18 February 2019)."The Wandering Earth is now the second-highest grossing movie in Chinese history".Shanghaiist.Retrieved18 February2019.
- ^Zhao, Yushan; Wang, Miao; Li, Lijun (2015). "Translation Mode of Book of Change from the Perspective of Communication Science".Proceedings of the 2015 International Conference on Education Reform and Modern Management.Vol. 15. Paris, France: Atlantis Press.doi:10.2991/ermm-15.2015.58.ISBN978-94-62520-66-0.
- ^"International best-seller 'The Three-Body Problem' to be adapted as a Netflix original series".Netflix Media Center.2 September 2020.Retrieved17 June2022.
- ^Munro, Stefani (7 November 2021)."The Three-Body Problem release date, cast, synopsis, and more".netflixlife.
- ^"A '3 Body Problem' Sneak Peek Clip Has Entered the Orbit".Netflix.10 November 2023.
- ^"Rendezvous with the Future".Bilibili.2022.
- ^"Lưu từ hân: 《 tam thể 》 đích thành công chỉ thị đặc lệ"[Liu Cixin: The Success of 'The Three Body Problem' Is Just a Special Case].Phoenix Television.Beijing Youth Daily.Retrieved11 July2017.
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- ^abAlter, Alexandra (3 December 2019)."How Chinese Sci-Fi Conquered America".The New York Times.
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- ^admin (6 November 2021)."Liu Cixin's novel" Bring Her Eyes "remake of the film, I am the screenwriter_TOM Entertainment".www.breakinglatest.news.Retrieved30 November2021.
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- ^locusmag (29 July 2019)."2019 Seiun Awards Winners".Locus Online.Retrieved19 February2022.
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External links
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