Netflix’s new science fiction show “The Three-Body Problem” is drawing praise from Twitter users for its depiction of Chinese communist brutality.
Based on the first novel in the “Remembrance of Earth’s Past” trilogy by Chinese author Liu Cixin, the show’s opening scene is set in the 1960s during China’s Cultural Revolution. U.S. conservatives and Chinese-American immigrants have been praising the show for its depiction of Chinese communism. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Chinese-Owned Chemical Giant Expanding Into US Heartland Led By Members Of Communist Party, Influence Orgs)
Singaporean journalist and activist Melissa Chen posted the show’s opening scene on X, stating that seeing the Chinese Cultural Revolution depicted on screen is a “visceral violation” of the human conscience.
It’s one thing to read historical accounts of the Cultural Revolution. To intellectualize it,” she posted. “It’s quite another to experience the visceral violation of your conscience from seeing it on a TV screen.”
It’s one thing to read historical accounts of the Cultural Revolution. To intellectualize it.
It’s quite another to experience the visceral violation of your conscience from seeing it on a TV screen (@netflix‘s 3 Body Problem) pic.twitter.com/766rx5q52v
— Melissa Chen (@MsMelChen) March 25, 2024
“All we need to do is just show people the raw, unvarnished truth of what the Cultural Revolution was like,” she continued later in the thread.
Judging from the reactions of so many others who’d seen the same scene – including Chinese netizens on Weibo and WeChat – it’s obvious that I am not alone.
It turns out we have a powerful weapon against the psychology of totalitarianism and tyranny.
All we need to do is just…
— Melissa Chen (@MsMelChen) March 25, 2024
American journalist and host of “The Reason Interview,” Nick Gillepsie, also posted about the show on X and encouraged people to watch the opening scene.
“The opening scene in Netflix’s #3BodyProblem is a brilliant, terrifying depiction of China’s Cultural Revolution. Watch it now,” he states. “The entire series is worth watching, but this scene… provides a rare but important depiction of a society run amok by power-mad, ideology-crazed groups hell-bent on purifying society along Marxist-Maoist lines.”
The opening scene in Netflix’s #3BodyProblem is a brilliant, terrifying depiction of China’s Cultural Revolution. Watch it now.
The entire series is worth watching, but this scene, moved from the middle of the original novel to the start of the English translation, provides a… pic.twitter.com/BpEjPY58Vm
— Nick Gillespie (@nickgillespie) March 25, 2024
Chinese defector, Xi Van Fleet, tweeted on X that she plans on watching the show and hopes others will too, because of how accurately it portrays what Chinese families went through during the Cultural Revolution.
“The scene truthfully portraits a bloody struggle session during the Cultural Revolution.” she posted. “This happened to countless families in real life.”
“Sad to say the same Cultural Revolution is here in America!” Van Fleet added.
Opening scene of the new Nexflix original “3 Body Problem” premiering today. This is an adaptation of a Chinese novel and later a TV series.
The scene truthfully portraits a bloody struggle session during the Cultural Revolution. The target of was a professor of physics. His… pic.twitter.com/K90GMN2qU4
— Xi Van Fleet (@XVanFleet) March 21, 2024
However, despite Netflix being banned in China, the show managed to draw lots of attention and has in turn seen much Chinese criticism, according to Voice of America.
Viewers in China have criticized Hollywood for painting China in a “bad light,” and Chinese movie critics and experts are concerned the show may “westernize” Chinese culture.
“Some netizens accused Netflix of intentionally putting China in a bad light by removing some Chinese characters’ backstories and making them purely evil or simplifying some remaining Chinese characters’ storylines to make them insignificant…” wrote Wenhao Ma, a journalist for Voice of America.
The article also mentioned that some Chinese nationalists were upset about the way the opening Cultural Revolution scene depicted China and “accused Netflix of filming the entire series just to show this scene.”
CNN also reported that the show “sparked online nationalist anger” among Chinese viewers.