New Netflix show sparks outrage in nationalist China - with viewers claiming ... trends now
A Netflix fantasy drama series set in the backdrop of the Chinese cultural revolution about a 'mysterious threat headed for Earth' has been berated by audiences in China.
The new show, 3 Body Problem, has received mixed reactions on Chinese social media since Netflix released it on March 21 - with many nationalists saying that the American corporation is trying to make the communist state look bad.
Netflix is unavailable in China, but some viewers have been able to watch the show through virtual private networks (VPNs) or find pirated versions.
Since its release, the show - which was created by the same people who made Game of Thrones - has received a 78 percent rating and an 81 percent average audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Chinese social media users have since accused the show of being political, and one user wrote that the cast was chosen to 'appease political correctness.'
The new Netflix series 3 Body Problem has received mixed reactions from social media users and poor reviews from individuals who are based in China
Chinese social media users have since accused the show of being political, and one user wrote on a platform that the cast was chosen to 'appease political correctness'
The eight-episode drama, which is based on an epic novel written by Liu Cixin, debuted at number two on Netflix. Cixin is China's most celebrated sci-fi author.
3 Body Problem begins with a scene depicting Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution.
The revolution began in 1966 and lasted until Zedong's death in 1976.
The show includes a scene in which a physics professor is beaten to death by his students at Tsinghua University in Beijing. The professor allegedly taught lessons that involved the opposition or resistance to a revolutionary movement.
He was also denounced by his wife, a colleague, and his daughter, Ye Wenjie (Zine Tseng), an astrophysics prodigy who witnessed the horrible events.
The show then fast forwards to nearly 60 years later in modern-day England, where Detective Da Shi (Benedict Wong) is investigating the apparent suicides of renowned scientists.
While Wenjie is recruited by officials to search for extraterrestrials, Shi and five other scientists become involved in doing actions to help the survival of humanity.
Although the show is now receiving social media backlash, the novel on which it is based also found itself in political controversy years ago.
3 Body Problem is an eight-episode series that begins with a scene depicting Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution
Cixin and journalist Jiayang Fan
