The Three-Body Problem - a science-fiction book of the trilogy Santi written by Chinese author Liu Cixin - has caused a big splash on the Internet after it was announced winner of the 2015 Hugo Award for Best Novel on August 23.
The topic has been read over 8.6 million times on Sina Weibo, and generated a discussion that involved 190 thousand participants within ten hours after the news release.
Netizens were encouraged by the award and praised the novel, saying that this is an award that the book deserves.
"I read the first two books of the Santi series when I was in junior school, I didn't have money to buy it so I read it in the Xinhua Bookstore. I'm so happy that Chinese science-fiction has finally been recognized by the world," wrote Sina Weibo user Wukelili.
Zhang Yiyun, a Chinese psychologist with a follower of over 4 million, reposted the news and suggested embracing a bigger vision of the universe. "If we spend our limited life in daily hustle and bustle and turn a blind eye to the macro or micro worlds, it's like we never stepped out of our houses in the spiritual world," she quoted from the books.
But not all comments are so thrilled about the award. Weibo user Faye_Venussaid that she doesn't think the book is that awesome, but "only that we couldn't find a better one in China."
The book, known for its brilliant imagination, successfully combined the exceedingly ephemeral with hard reality, all the while focusing on revealing the essence and aesthetics of science. It is a distinctly Chinese style of science fiction.
"The Three-Body trilogy is my best work, but there are still places he wishes he was able to revise," Liu said in an interview with Sina news. He said that the book couldn't have won in the world stage were it not for the good translation of Ken Liu.
As to why he's so dedicated to writing science-fiction novels, he said in a 2014 interview with The New York Times' Chinese online edition that he's just like American science-fiction novelist Robert A. Heinlein, writing for his "beer money"- "I'm nothing like the characters in my book."
"The characters in my book are totally idealists, but I'm just an ordinary man," he said, adding that if he has to choose to be one of his characters, he would go for Luo Ji, who "leads a care-free life, yet when responsibility falls on him, he can shoulder it as well."
Liu said that he is not too optimistic about raising the Chinese audience's enthusiasm for science-fiction with The Three-Body Problem alonethough he thinks it's important to have imagination for "others", or alien civilizations.
"If I were to recommend books for President Xi Jinping, I would choose 2001: A Space Odyssey and Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke. Santi is too long," Liu said. He adds that, "Don't assume that I'm kidding - a country, as well as a ruling party, should have imagination, for 'others'."
Liu Cixing is the most prolific and popular science fiction writer in China, an eight-time winner of the Galaxy Award (the Chinese Hugo) and a winner of the Nebula Award. Prior to becoming a writer, he worked as an engineer at a power plant in Yangquan, Shanxi.
