Introduction

Three-Body (Chinese: 三体 or San ti) is a Chinese science fiction television series based on the novel The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin.

The series premiered on 15 January 2023.

Outline

TV Series

In 2007, Wang Miao – one of China’s leading nanomaterials experts – is enlisted by Shi Qiang, a detective who specialises in counterterrorism, in the case of strange apparent suicides in the scientific community. During the investigation, Wang Miao encounters a mysterious organisation called the Frontiers of Science and proceeds to learn the truth behind how an alien world depicted in a popular video game connects with the apparent suicides and the fate of the world.

Book

Set against the backdrop of China’s Cultural Revolution, a secret military project sends signals into space to establish contact with aliens. An alien civilisation on the brink of destruction captures the signal and plans to invade Earth. Meanwhile, on Earth, different camps start forming, planning to either welcome the superior beings and help them take over a world seen as corrupt, or to fight against the invasion.

Remembrance of Earth’s Past

Remembrance of Earth’s Past (Chinese: 地球往事; pinyin: Dìqiú Wǎngshì; lit. ‘Earth’s Past’) is a science fiction series by Chinese writer Liu Cixin. The series is also popularly referred to as Three-Body from part of the title of its first novel, The Three-Body Problem (Chinese: 三体; pinyin: Sān Tǐ; lit. ‘Three-Body’). The series details humanity’s discovery of and preparation for an alien invasion force from the planet Trisolaris.

Original Trilogy

The books in the Remembrance of Earth’s Past trilogy are:

• The Three-Body Problem (三体), 2006; English translation by Ken Liu published by Tor Books on 11 November 2014. Also known in Chinese as “三体I”
• The Dark Forest (黑暗森林), 2008; English translation by Joel Martinsen published by Tor Books on 11 August 2015. Also known in Chinese as “三体II”
• Death’s End (死神永生), November 2010; English translation by Ken Liu published by Tor Books on 20 September 2016 (19 September in digital stores). Also known in Chinese as “三体III”

Extended Series

The Redemption of Time (观想之宙), originally posted to an internet forum as fan fiction in 2010 by Li Jun writing as Baoshu, that was later published by Chongqing Press, the original trilogy publisher, with the permission of Cixin Liu in 2011, as Three-Body X: Aeon of Contemplation (Chinese: 三体X·观想之宙; pinyin: Sān Tǐ X · Guān Xiǎng Zhī Zhòu). It was translated by Ken Liu into English for Tor Books and published on 16 July 2019 as The Redemption of Time.

Cast

• Zhang Luyi as Wang Miao
• Yu Hewei as Shi Qiang
• Chen Jin and Wang Ziwen as Ye Wenjie
• Lin Yongjian as General Chang Weisi
• Li Xiaoran as Shen Yufei
• Eric Wang as Ding Yi
• Kou Zhenhai as Ye Zhetai
• He Dujuan as Yang Dong
• Kenan Heppe as Mike Evans
• Mike Koltes as Colonel Mike Williams

Production

Although Tencent obtained the rights to the novels in 2008, attempts to produce a Chinese live-action adaptation of the novels began in earnest in 2015 with The Three-Body Problem film by YooZoo Film. Filming lasted for 5 months in 2015, but the final product was never released.6] While YooZoo Film struck a deal in September 2020 to produce their own adaptation for Netflix with Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss at the helm, work on the script for a Chinese adaptation was already underway at Tencent and took four years to complete. Shooting began in July 2020 and lasted 126 days. The Beijing Electron–Positron Collider II doubled for the particle accelerator in the series.

In November 2021, a trailer for the series was released with no specific premiere date. This was followed by a second trailer in June 2022, and a final trailer 3 days prior to the premiere. After several delays, the series began airing on 15 January 2023, with the first 4 episodes available for streaming on WeTV and Rakuten Viki.

Release

Three-Body has received wide acclaim in China, with domestic critics praising the visual effects as astonishing.

Three-Body Series

• Episode 01.
• Episode 02.
• Episode 03.
• Episode 04.
• Episode 05.
• Episode 06.
• Episode 07.
• Episode 08.
• Episode 09.
• Episode 10.

• Episode 11.
• Episode 12.
• Episode 13.
• Episode 14.
• Episode 15.
• Episode 16.
• Episode 17.
• Episode 18.
• Episode 19.
• Episode 20.

• Episode 21.
• Episode 22.
• Episode 23.
• Episode 24.
• Episode 25.
• Episode 26.
• Episode 27.
• Episode 28.
• Episode 29.
• Episode 30.

Production & Filming Details

• Director(s):
  • Lei Yang
• Producer(s):
  • Yi Cong Bai … producer
  • Song He … producer
  • Qi Lin … producer
  • Qi Lu … producer
  • Zhonghuai Sun … producer
  • Jijun Xue … producer
• Writer(s):
  • Cixin Liu
  • Liangliang Tian
• Music:
  • Xueran Chen
• Cinematography:
• Editor(s):
• Production:
  • CCTV
  • Tencent Video
  • The Three-Body Universe
  • China Mobile Migu
  • Linghe Cultural Media
• Distributor(s):
  • CCTV-8 (China) (2023) (TV)
  • Tencent Video (China) (2023) (VOD)
  • Migu Video (China) (2023) (VOD)
  • Discovery Force Channel (US) (2023) (TV)
  • Discovery Toons (Mexico) (2023) (TV)
• Release Date:
  • WeTV: 15 January 2023 to 03 February 2023 (episodes 01-30).
  • CCTV: 15 January 2023 to 17 February 2023 (episodes 01-30).
  • WeTV Premier Access: 03 February 2023 (episodes 22-30).
• Running Time: 45 minutes.
• Rating: Unknown.
• Country: Mandarin.
• Language: Chinese.

Video Link(s)