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The Rise and Rise of Chinese Science Fiction

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Re: The Rise and Rise of Chinese Science Fiction

#71

Post by withhighprod »

taurath wrote: post #33
yorwba wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Famous authors can write for the international translation market, essentially. A few months ago there was a submission about Yan Lianke's struggles: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18206445 It's still possible to read banned books on the mainland if you know the right sites, but most consumers of banned literature are probably just looking for porn, so you might need to do some digging to find something more hi…

Is porn banned? Or only some types?

It’s banned but every student beyond 7th grade has a secret link and it was worth bragging

Re: The Rise and Rise of Chinese Science Fiction

#72

Post by JumpCrisscross »

demilicious wrote: post #53
Jerry2 wrote: post #34

Cixin Liu's 'Remembrance of Earth’s Past' trilogy are the greatest sci-fi books I've ever read. I still remember when I picked the first volume and than patiently waited for a very long time for translations of the next books to arrive. The wait was well worth it. He manages to put his characters into seemingly insurmountable situations and it feels like he won't be able to write his way out of them but somehow he ma…

Completely disagree. The science was pretty good, for a pop audience, but there was zero character development - beyond Luo Ji, zero characters develop in the _entire series_. I don't want to spoil anything, of course, but you can pretty much decide the rest of the series based on what I've already written. Extremely disappointing.

> there was zero character development - beyond Luo Ji

Da Shi (together with Luo Ji, my favourite characters), Ye Wenjie, Yun Tianming and Thomas Wade develop across the series. If you cast the various human masses, the Trisolarans and Sophon as characters, which they resemble, they—too—develop compellingly over the series. Certain family lineages also cast favourably as “characters”.

It does take a different view of character development to make things pop. For me, the best part about the characters was experiencing Liu’s worlds through their odd perspectives. (Cheng Xin was not a pleasant perspective. But against Wade’s and Beihai’s foils, it is thought provoking.)

Re: The Rise and Rise of Chinese Science Fiction

#73

Post by hinkley »

NeedMoreTea wrote: post #69
mercutio2 wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wow. I couldn’t stand the first book of this series. Interminable, I never built any empathy for any of the characters. I’ve been told it gets better after the first book, but why would I subject myself to another book after my experience of the first? Anyway, to each their own, but as a huge sci-fi fan, I generally love the Hugo winners and nominees. The Chinese sci-fi that’s been nominated has all left me cold.

I found just the opposite. I thought the first book was OK, but definitely not great. I thought the second and third atrocious, and a couple of the least memorable books I've ever read. I didn't finish the third. I wouldn't had started it had I not bought the set. I couldn't understand the appeal or relate to them at all. That said, I'm glad they exist, it's refreshing after so much copy-cat blandness in today's publ…

I wouldn't say attrocious but the third one isn't holding my attention. I don't want to know what happens next, I just want to know what happens at the end.

Meanwhile, I'm really bummed that the last book of the Expanse got delayed 4 months. I don't know how they're going to wrap up the story line in only one more book.

Re: The Rise and Rise of Chinese Science Fiction

#74

Post by rqs »

taurath wrote: post #33
yorwba wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Famous authors can write for the international translation market, essentially. A few months ago there was a submission about Yan Lianke's struggles: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18206445 It's still possible to read banned books on the mainland if you know the right sites, but most consumers of banned literature are probably just looking for porn, so you might need to do some digging to find something more hi…

Is porn banned? Or only some types?

By law, yes.

And redistribution of porn materials is a crime that can send committers to prison, depends generally on how much money they've earned from it or/and how many redistribution has been made etc.

But personal consumption is not illegal.

To put it simple, if you want to be a 100% law obeying person in China, then you can watch porn, but you cannot produce it, you cannot copy it and send to others, you cannot recommend it to others. The real life situation is bit different of course.

Re: The Rise and Rise of Chinese Science Fiction

#75

Post by neuronexmachina »

sfifs wrote: post #63
ceejayoz wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had the same experience with the first book, and never proceeded further. I kinda wonder if it's a translation/cultural issue - the characters' decision making processes and the ways things were described felt very foreign to me.

Possibly cultural but the Dark Forest (second book) is definitely worth the read whatever your experience with the first book. It is quite remarkable the breadth of the ideas that were explored.

Yeah, it's become my currently-preferred explanation for the Fermi Paradox.

https://bigthink.com/scotty-hendricks/the-dark-forest-theory...

Re: The Rise and Rise of Chinese Science Fiction

#76

Post by njarboe »

chillacy wrote: post #59
Jerry2 wrote: post #34

Cixin Liu's 'Remembrance of Earth’s Past' trilogy are the greatest sci-fi books I've ever read. I still remember when I picked the first volume and than patiently waited for a very long time for translations of the next books to arrive. The wait was well worth it. He manages to put his characters into seemingly insurmountable situations and it feels like he won't be able to write his way out of them but somehow he ma…

After reading I've been wondering what some of the unique themes are which arise from the author being Chinese. Here's what I've thought of (Spoilers Ahead): 1. Tri-solaran civilization = chinese civilization in many ways: Unlike say America, where technology has developed constantly, in tri-solaris technology develops only during "stable eras" and stops developing or regresses when too many suns are in the sky, or n…

Not necessarily uniquely Chinese trait, but an idea I had never read in western sci-fi.

1. The most powerful human trait is the ability to hide ones true feelings and thoughts from others.

I have not read enough Chinese sci-fi to know if this is a recurring theme.

Re: The Rise and Rise of Chinese Science Fiction

#77

Post by dmix »

sfifs wrote: post #63
ceejayoz wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had the same experience with the first book, and never proceeded further. I kinda wonder if it's a translation/cultural issue - the characters' decision making processes and the ways things were described felt very foreign to me.

Possibly cultural but the Dark Forest (second book) is definitely worth the read whatever your experience with the first book. It is quite remarkable the breadth of the ideas that were explored.

> It is quite remarkable the breadth of the ideas that were explored.

For example?

Re: The Rise and Rise of Chinese Science Fiction

#78

Post by Gatsky »

ceejayoz wrote: post #47
mercutio2 wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wow. I couldn’t stand the first book of this series. Interminable, I never built any empathy for any of the characters. I’ve been told it gets better after the first book, but why would I subject myself to another book after my experience of the first? Anyway, to each their own, but as a huge sci-fi fan, I generally love the Hugo winners and nominees. The Chinese sci-fi that’s been nominated has all left me cold.

I had the same experience with the first book, and never proceeded further. I kinda wonder if it's a translation/cultural issue - the characters' decision making processes and the ways things were described felt very foreign to me.

The tone is very different to the British/US science fiction I have read. I think it works well, almost like the whole thing is an official report of what happened, lending it a 'stranger than fiction' quality. Mind you I listened to the audio version which tends to introduce a bit more colour to the characters by virtue of the voice acting.

Re: The Rise and Rise of Chinese Science Fiction

#80

Post by stone-monkey »

Jerry2 wrote: post #44
mercutio2 wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wow. I couldn’t stand the first book of this series. Interminable, I never built any empathy for any of the characters. I’ve been told it gets better after the first book, but why would I subject myself to another book after my experience of the first? Anyway, to each their own, but as a huge sci-fi fan, I generally love the Hugo winners and nominees. The Chinese sci-fi that’s been nominated has all left me cold.

> I’ve been told it gets better after the first book, but why would I subject myself to another book after my experience of the first? I was not a huge fan of the first book either but saw the potential. Second book, The Dark Forest, is the greatest of the three (IMO anyway). Third book is also amazing. Definitely 'endure' reading through the first one and then you'll be rewarded with 2nd and 3rd.

The second is my favorite by far as well, but I find it funny how it's described as amazing Sci-Fi when I have to describe the plot. Half the book is

spoilers

The result of granting a nerd all the resources of the Earth at his disposal. He promptly uses it to find the perfect waifu and seduces her in his idyllic European villa.

That's not Sci-Fi; That's a power fantasy as old as time.

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