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Liu Cixin

リュウ・ツーシン

Liu Cixin

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1963-06-23 （Beijing, China）
Nationality
China
Languages
Chinese (Mandarin)
Residence History
Beijing (birthplace) → Yangquan, Shanxi (grew up) → Luoshan County, Henan (ancestral home) → Shanxi province (worked)

Career

Occupations
Science fiction writer, Computer engineer
Active Years
1989-
Affiliations
China Science Writers Association, Shanxi Writers Association (vice president)
Memberships
China Science Writers Association, Shanxi Writers Association
Influenced By
George Orwell, Arthur C. Clarke

Education

North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power
Year of Graduation: 1988
Country: China
Graduated in 1988; worked as a computer engineer at a power plant in Shanxi province.

Awards

Galaxy Award (China)
Organization: Galaxy Award organizers
Result: 受賞（通算複数回）
Hugo Award
2015
Work: The Three-Body Problem
Category: Best Novel
Organization: Worldcon / The Hugo Awards
Result: 受賞
Locus Award
2017
Work: Death's End
Category: Best Science Fiction Novel
Organization: Locus
Result: 受賞
Chinese Nebula Award
Organization: Nebula Awards (China)
Result: 受賞
Kurd-Laßwitz-Preis
2017
Work: The Three-Body Problem (German translation)
Category: Best Foreign SF Work
Organization: Kurd-Laßwitz-Preis organizers
Result: 受賞
Premio Ignotus
2017
Work: The Three-Body Problem (Spanish translation)
Category: Foreign Novel
Organization: Premio Ignotus organizers
Result: 受賞
Arthur C. Clarke Award
2018
Organization: Arthur C. Clarke Award organizers
Result: 受賞
Seiun Award (Japan, translated works)
2019
Work: The Circle (translated short story)
Category: Best Translated Short Story / Best Translated Long Work
Organization: Japanese SF fan organizations
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Three-Body Problem

2006 Hard science fiction

Set partly against the Cultural Revolution, it begins a trilogy about Earth's contact with the advanced Trisolaran civilization and the consequences for humanity.

Civilizational collisionScience and humanity's futureMoral dilemmas
Adaptations
  • [TV series] 3 Body Problem (Netflix) (2024)
  • [TV series (Chinese adaptation)] Three-Body (Chinese TV series) (2023)
Translations
  • English translation by Ken Liu
  • German translation

The Dark Forest

2008 Hard science fiction

Second book of the trilogy; builds on the 'Dark Forest' metaphor to explore humanity's strategy against the Trisolaran threat.

Survival strategiesChoices of states and individualsNature of the cosmos
Translations
  • English translation by Ken Liu (volume 2)

Death's End

2010 Hard science fiction

Third volume concluding the trilogy, depicting the ultimate interactions between humanity and the Trisolaran civilization on a cosmic scale.

Civilizational extinction and renewalExpansion of time and scaleEthical choices
Translations
  • English translation by Ken Liu (volume 3)

The Wandering Earth

2000 Hard science fiction / novella

A novella about moving Earth to another star system; adapted into a major Chinese blockbuster film.

Communal sacrifice and choiceLimits of technology and hope
Adaptations
  • [Movie] The Wandering Earth (film) / 郭帆 (Frant Gwo) (2019)
  • [Movie (sequel)] The Wandering Earth 2 / 郭帆 (Frant Gwo) (2023)
Translations
  • Translated into English and other languages

Ball Lightning

2004 Science fiction (hard SF)

A novel centered on the mysterious phenomenon of ball lightning and its scientific and personal consequences for the protagonist.

Ethics of scientific researchLoss and obsession
Translations
  • English translation and others available

Bibliography

  • China 2185 (1989)
  • The Devil's Bricks (2002)
  • Supernova Era (2003)
  • Ball Lightning (2004)
  • Remembrance of Earth's Past (The Three-Body Trilogy, 2006–2010)
  • The Wandering Earth (2000, novella)

Adaptations

  • The Wandering Earth (film, 2019)
  • Three-Body (Chinese TV series, 2023)
  • 3 Body Problem (Netflix TV series, 2024)
  • The Wandering Earth 2 (film, 2023)
  • Crazy Alien (film, adapted from 'The Village Teacher')

Translations of Works

  • English translations (Ken Liu, others)
  • German, Spanish and many other translations

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Detailed hard-SF proseGrand-scale narratives grounded in scientific thinking
Recurring Motifs
Encounters and clashes between civilizationsCold realism / consequentialismCosmic loneliness and danger

Legacy

One of the authors who brought contemporary Chinese science fiction to international attention; his English translations helped make him the first Asian author to win the Hugo Award for Best Novel. His works' translations and screen adaptations have made him an influential figure in modern SF.

Academic Societies

  • China Science Writers Association
  • Shanxi Writers Association

In Popular Culture

  • Netflix's '3 Body Problem' (2024) brought major attention
  • Box-office success of 'The Wandering Earth' (2019)
  • Multiple adaptations of novels/short stories into films and TV series

Quotes

  • The universe is a dark forest.
    Source: The Dark Forest (The Three-Body Problem series, book 2) (2008)

Trivia

  • Multiple-time winner of China's Galaxy Award (nine-time winner)
  • Won the 2015 Hugo Award for Best Novel for the English translation of 'The Three-Body Problem', becoming the first Asian author to win the category
  • 'The Wandering Earth' novella was adapted into a major Chinese blockbuster film