THE Chinese TV series adaptation of Liu Cixin’s “Three-Body Problem,” the first Asian novel to win the Hugo Award, has gained popularity overseas, according to a recent seminar held in Beijing.

Producers revealed during the event that they are producing “Three-Body II: The Dark Forest,” a sequel adapted from the eponymous novel, which is the second installment in Liu Cixin’s “Remembrance of Earth’s Past” trilogy. A spin-off series focused on police officer Shi Qiang, one of the two protagonists in “Three-Body,” is also in the pipeline.

Statistics show that the series has gained a rating of 7.9 out of 10 on the foreign review aggregator IMDb and has accumulated 5 million views on YouTube, according to Tencent Video.

Gao Changli, director-general of the TV drama department at the National Radio and Television Administration, said that the popularity of “Three-Body” and the success of the movie franchise “The Wandering Earth” might signal a new era for the rise of domestic sci-fi stories.

He added that the drama contains a lot of thoughts inspired by China’s traditional philosophy and culture, offering a distinctive edge for homegrown tales in the world’s sci-fi landscape.

Xia Xiaohui, head of the TV drama department at China Media Group, said that the drama has been in preparation and production for seven years and has done a good job in bringing to life the most iconic scenes depicted in the novel.

Director Yang Lei, a diehard sci-fi fan, said he started reading “The Three-Body Problem” when the story was run in Science Fiction World magazine in 2006.

“Most Hollywood sci-fi movies and TV series are tightly associated with Western history and civilization. This will make you feel that ‘Three-Body’ is quite unique, as it is set in a typical Chinese backdrop and features a lot of Chinese elements,” said Yang.

(China Daily)