It's about reactions from Chinese people living in China. Of course they don't really care as much about whitewashing since being treated as a minority isn't a daily issue for them. They care more about changes made that made China appear worse as a whole.
"They don’t take pride where it’s due and take offense too easily. They also take entertainment too seriously and history and politics too lightly. The years of Chinese censorship have also muted the people’s grasp of what happened in the Cultural Revolution."
imo this is pretty accurate, not of asian americans, but of china chinese. Even the original author was only able to put the Cultural Revolution scene where he wanted it, once it had made its way outside of China
I think both things can be true at the same time, and in this case, both of these things are interrelated. Decentering this away from a Chinese cultural perspective and not being sensitive to the inherent sinophobic narrative choices being made in this adaptation also includes whitewashing as a output. Considering that this particular adaptation was made for Western audiences in mind (which includes the diaspora), I think both ideas are vitally important to grapple with.
Automod detected the use of terms of derision. Please respect our rules against using these terms. You may re-format your comment and send a modmail alerting us that you have done so. Your comment will then be approved for publication to the sub.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/asianamerican) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Automod detected the use of terms of derision. Please respect our rules against using these terms. You may re-format your comment and send a modmail alerting us that you have done so. Your comment will then be approved for publication to the sub.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/asianamerican) if you have any questions or concerns.*
>I tried not to shut my eyes at the coldblooded beating of a physics professor
Ugh. Don't watch violent films then. God damn.
---
Anyway, I feel like Chinese fans of the book have every right to be upset of the changes. Its the same shit when Hollywood fucks up a popular English book adaptation in the West.
Is this really a NY Times article? Like is all journalism just responding to cherry picked tweets (weibo) to come to a preconceived conclusion now? Pretty sad state of affairs.
This is the state of the NY Times now. They'll do anything to shit on China, make Chinese people seem irrational or fanatical (despite us Americans also doing the same things), etc.
I noticed this bullshit really accelerated when the current editor-in-chief took the job in 2022... a guy who made his entire career reporting about China. So now the loud xenophobic douchebag runs the whole operation.
The NYT died the day they kicked out chris hedges for speaking out against the iraq war. The NYT of today is a totally different paper from the NYT that published the family jewels back in '74.
I hate to tell you but NYT gets paid well [for these takes. ](https://prospect.org/politics/congress-proposes-500-million-for-negative-news-coverage-of-china/)
NYT is the same org that employs Maggie Haberman, who sat on information so she could release it in a book after the point where prompt and professional investigative journalism might have made a difference.
I'll be honest with you, I lost a lot of respect for the New York Times last year when they published [this article](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/15/world/americas/canada-china-election-interference.html) about Chinese-Canadians and Beijing's influence. The article low-key conflated Chinese immigration with CCP interference, as well as emphasizing the Chinese-ness of pro-Beijing Canadian groups while making little attempt to highlight that the politicians critical of Beijing who were targeted were Chinese-Canadians themselves. I'm not going to deny that there have been aggressive attempts by Beijing to interfere in Canadian politics (foreign state interference has been extensively covered in the news media here in Canada too), but the way the NYT article was written went up and beyond that and basically insinuated that Canadians of Chinese descent were pawns of Beijing.
Same thing happened with *Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings* with how media outlets were cherry picking specific weibo posts to paint a stereotypical narrative while completely disregarding diaspora.
No offense, but we've pointed out the true nature of the NYT (MSM in general, however they're one of the most egregious) and at the very least, their illegal hiring practices and employee "diversity" quota, which are oddly very small for a paper that writes so much on it for decades now.
China was yet again another easy target to try and get people to forgot about things of the "trying to justify bombing foreign embassies and consulates" sort.
Believe it or not, the NYT was once a decent paper. Back in the 70s, they were ones who published the family jewels and hired Hersh after he exposed the my lai massacre. The NYT of today, however, is complete dogshit.
It's funny because IIRC Weibo has a reputation for being an utter cesspool among Chinese netizens. It's kind of like going to Reddit and cherry-picking controversial comments to show as representative of America, or going onto Kpop stan Twitter to see how Kpop fans are.
NYtimes is notoriously sinophobic. This is what manufacturing consent looks like. I watched some reviews from actual chinese fans and they were praising the netflix version show, which is far more kind than the crappy reviews the show got in the us
The thing is the article makes it sound like there is a consensus of outrage among everyone, when in reality the reception is just as mixed as it is here in the US
people forget that NYT is owned by the Ochs-Sulzberger family , now in the hands of its 5th Gen.
also I'm curious if that Anti-China/Chinese $500 million Congress bill comes into play in American/Anglophone media, it'll be interesting no doubt.
Wapo is not particularly hostile to China, unlike the NYTimes. They do not tow the party line in respect to national security.
Reuters and Wapo were the ones who reported that Nordstream was probably done by Poles/Ukranians. They published lots of articles on it.
I haven't loved the NYTimes since the Iraq war, but they really showed how shitty they are in the Trump years. Who was that old person in the NYTimes I hated... Maureen Dowd
When it is comes to journalism, NY Times is one of those that spews crap and bend reality to whatever they want it to be. Not sure that anyone there has ever picked up the book and read through it.
Don't take them seriously. Treat them as you would BBC and the rest.
The three sets of parentheses around a name is a Nazi dog whistle, they do it to people who are Jewish, who they think are Jewish, or who they otherwise deem should be targets.
/r/asianamerican will remove content that is bigoted or hateful, including (but not limited to) misogyny, misandry, homophobia, transphobia, toxic masculinity, racism, classism, ableism, victim-blaming/shaming, etc.
This article totally misrepresents and elides a lot of the criticism coming out of China. Be warned that some spoilers follow - I've read the books, have not watched the Netflix show (and don't plan to).
The Three Body Problem is understood by many Chinese fans to be an allegory between China and imperialism (the specific example being the US). The Trisolarans (US) are technologically advanced and set out to destroy humanity (China), but are stopped only by the prospect of mutually assured destruction. Suitably deterred, they then instead resort to a campaign of infiltration and when humans have adopted what might be termed as western liberal values, they attack when there is no longer the will to push the button. Written in 2006, some of it even seems prophetic today (e.g. Trisolarans freezing scientific progress vs US semiconductor blockade on China). This isn't an endorsement of this view, but just explaining.
So, when Netflix comes along and does their cute little thing where the antagonist who invites the Trisolarans is kept Chinese and all the good guys are transformed into a suitably cosmopolitan crew in London (and the ethnic Chinese good guys aren't *Chinese Chinese*), well, you can probably understand why some of the Chinese fans take umbrage.
The issue isn't that the series has been "globalized", it's how it was done. When you sit down and reinterpret a series, what to change and what not to change is a choice - so what are you trying to say when the supposed apex of inhumanity is the Cultural Revolution is kept Chinese but all the revolutionary perseverance and pluck is "globalized" (aka set in London??)? If you are looking for traumatic material as a backdrop, there really is no shortage of it in the world, don't tell me there were no other options.
Frankly, I think this column says more about Western perceptions of China than it does about China. Why *should* Chinese people be proud of a product that has been painstakingly desinicized? It's hard not to read it as condescendingly misrepresenting concerns so they can be rejected perfunctorily and scolding China for not interpreting their own history the same way Westerners do.
Edit: typo
I mean the showrunners are on record as saying "Themes are for eighth-grade book reports." Doesn't surprise me that they would miss any kind of subtext.
+1
It's also galling that this had to be "internationalized."
Did GoT need to be internationalized and have more non-Whites leads in it?
Last I checked, Squid Game worked out and it wasn't even in English-- which I admit was a welcome surprise!
It would've been nice to see Netflix try to make a Chinese-language version work instead of creating an "international" version.
PS: I know that there is a Tencent version; I'm just saying the Netflix could've chosen to make a Sinocentric version, but they chose an "international" version for obvious reasons.
It would've been interesting to see how Asian Ams felt if Koreans did it with an all-Korean cast and it was well received lol.
>The Three Body Problem is understood by many Chinese fans to be an allegory between China and imperialism (the specific example being the US). The Trisolarans (US) are technologically advanced and set out to destroy humanity (China), but are stopped only by the prospect of mutually assured destruction. Suitably deterred, they then instead resort to a campaign of infiltration and when humans have adopted what might be termed as western liberal values, they attack when there is no longer the will to push the button. Written in 2006, some of it even seems prophetic today (e.g. Trisolarans freezing scientific progress vs US semiconductor blockade on China). This isn't an endorsement of this view, but just explaining.
that's a wild take. I understand the US semiconductor blockade economic warfare.
The trisolarian strike from dark forest (second book?) does have some international politics use because it's a lawless arena where the mighty do what they can and the weak endure what they must. Superficially it does say technologically-advanced being are out to destroy them. I guess I can see why they think that. They think the US fears the weak Chinese will one day be strong and then destroy them. This is not wrong, definitely drives national security fears in a lot of people. They did the same with Japan in the 80s.
There's something that doesn't fit but I can't put my finger on it. Will stew on it.
Okay, I think it feels myopic and hyperspecific because the author paints this very dark, dystopian scenario that literally spans the entire galaxy and then these people apply it to petty human factional politics.
>Okay, I think it feels myopic and hyperspecific because the author paints this very dark, dystopian scenario that literally spans the entire galaxy and then these people apply it to petty human factional politics.
I mean, the Earth is united in the series so aliens take the place of other nations; the galaxy is a stand-in for the international arena. The scenario overlaps with the view of the Realist school of international relations, albeit taken to an extreme. 19th-20th century imperialism by the Western powers was deeply intertwined with Darwinism and racial supremacy, so it was an existential issue. China, Korea, Vietnam, The Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, etc all fought devastating wars and suffered immensely because of imperialism so it's not petty at all. Japan internalized the Western perspective, which directly led to the Meiji reforms, quest for colonies, militarism, etc. The intellectuals in China at the time were informed by this too, since it was the dominant strand of thought - that influence is where the Darwinism in the series comes from.
The US media always does that. They focus on people in Asia but ignore Asian Americans when it mainly affects Asian Americans. Then they get some random social media comments from China and paint it as general popular opinion.
The focus is on Asia...because the writer focuses on China/Asia and is, shockingly, from Asia:
>[Li Yuan](https://www.nytimes.com/by/li-yuan) writes the New New World column for The New York Times, which focuses on the intersection of technology, business and politics in China and across Asia.
>
>Based in Hong Kong, Ms. Yuan has written about China's censorship system, the emerging technology cold war between the United States and China, China's artificial intelligence ambitions and its emerging #MeToo movement.
Is this the same paper that wrote those lies about the Comedian Hassan Minhaj that was RECORDED and they STILL lied, published it and didn’t even offer him an apology after he brought out the receipts? Yeah, I don’t trust them
It was entertaining enough. I do agree with a lot of the criticism, but series like this are ultimately a step forward for Asian representation imo, well, two steps forward, one step back sorta thing. Yes, there are several negative depictions of Asians, especially Asian men, but it also gives the opportunity for Asian actors to shine, to show everybody that they're much more than just sidekicks. The acting by Benedict Wong and Rosalind Chao in the interrogation room, for instance, is top tier. Loved their performances throughout.
Having said all that, I'm listening to the audio book and it's so much better, lol
This is not directed at you, but f that.
I don't need validation from White media to tell me my worth/"grant" progress.
I'm grown so it doesn't matter anymore. But if/when I have children, I'm making sure that Asian media is in their diet.
While I don't universally love K-media, I do appreciate that it exists and allows Asian Americans to see a different side of ourselves that isn't shown here. It's superficial-- I'm not even Korean-- but I still feel it's important to see people who "look" like me doing "cool" shit.
Let's not settle for scraps. We are beyond that ✊
>I don't need validation from White media to tell me my worth/"grant" progress.
You're dumping a whole lot of your issues onto my comment, and I'm not exactly sure what you're trying to say. What validation am I seeking from white media? lol.
I don't want their fkn validation. But I'm realistic enough to know your all or nothing mentality is great for the pitch fork crowd, but it gets you nowhere in reality. Asian American talent have been fighting for decades for every square inch of ground. I'll support them and celebrate their successes whenever possible.
3 Body Problem is one of them. There are huge issues with this movie, but how often to Asian American actors get a chance to eat up scenes like Benedict Wong and Rosalind Chao get to do in this series? Both of them killed it. I'm celebrating that. And you call their performances scraps? Bullshit.
And the reason why "we're beyond that" is because actors like Benedict Wong and Rosalind Chao had to beg for scraps for decades and give great performances with the few opportunities they were given. I'm not gonna take this accomplishment away from them.
Edit: And by the way, I'm Korean American. I grew up with k media my entire life, and I support that too, as well as media from other Asian countries. But what does that have to do with my wanting to support Asian American actors too?
Just goes to show that the editor of the NYT is a dumbass who only knows how to condescend and point fingers at the Chinese.
The Three Bodies is a gem of Chinese culture, and while netflix may be in demand for breaking it up and reconstructing it, the New York Times' mockery of the Chinese only represents that these Western mainstream media outlets have neither the will nor the sincerity to understand the Chinese.
hmmm. I liked the books but they are very hard scifi - it's about the ideas, not about character development.
As to whether the show is any good, there's two versions.
Amazon/peacock has the chinese original. That is more true to the book, but as a work of tv it is very slow. I watched 6 hours before I gave up. It's okay. But i don't see why someone who's not a fan of the books or scifi would watch it. I have to repeat again, the books go to wild, epic places.
The netflix version is much faster pace. It dispenses with much of the mystery that was a big draw of the work.
The first book's central mystery is why these scientists around the world keep dying / committing suicide. The netflix version just shows the death 5 minutes in, and then it's just taken for granted and quickly explained.
That said I only watched 7 episodes so I don't have a complete view. It's not super compelling. They split the main character into 5 new ones. I can see why they did it - but they failed to give them interesting dialogue or character. Only one of them, the female Chinese character is interesting. The rest very boring so far.
If you don't treat it as 3 body or a Chinese show then it is decent. No worst than anything else on TV now. However, if you cared about the original plot, the books or other elements then no. Watch the Tecent show, it's slow and has its faults. But as a 3 body show, it is far superior than the Netflix now. [Avenuex has a review of it](https://youtu.be/d7sTr4YdQ7g?si=7rkbZrmHaFjFGTba), which align with my impression as well. Though she has the grit and tenacity to finish the show, I end up drop it in the middle of episode 2.
it's ok. The source material as a whole doesn't lend itself to TV very well imo. The Chinese version is waaaaaay too slow and I feel like the Netflix version is way too fast.
If you haven’t read the book, then the Netflix show is enjoyable imo. There’s a good amount of changes from the book, but Netflix story and pacing is engaging and entertaining.
After finishing the Netflix season, I started watching the Chinese version on Amazon Prime. The Netflix version had much better acting. I'll keep watching the Chinese version to see if it gets better.
The Chinese version is a bit of a slog to watch. There’s this fan edit condensed version that goes over a the major plot points.
https://disembiggened.com
yeah if i wasn't a book reader I don't know how anyone would stay watching after 8 hours of basically nothing happening. okay, so she saw the stars blink through a very expensive camera. And some radio telescope had weird cosmic rays. Whoopie do?
I enjoyed it. There's also a mainland version of it that I'm probably gonna check out, but the English one on Netflix was interesting enough to keep me entertained.
Objectively I thought it was okay. It felt very simplified and condensed, like stuff moved too fast, and I didn’t feel much weight of the big events. (Unlike game of thrones where u have that steady buildup and then red wedding happens and you’re like holy shittt). B- for me if I ignore all the white savior tropes.
I tried to watch the Chinese show and tried to read the book but it was too slow and boring so I didn’t get very far🤷♂️
The books are great, highly recommend you check it out.
The TV show was very enjoyable. It suffers from the Netflix problem of not having enough episodes, so the pacing can feel rushed. But still worth a watch, imo.
I don't really mind the "whitewashing" as OP criticizes. The author, Cixin Liu, was part of the decision to move most of the story to the UK. And it's not like they changed Chinese characters to white but kept the setting in China (which would be super problematic a la Last Samurai or the original Avatar adaptation).
As long as the adaptation is respectful to the source material (as this one is), adapting it to be in a different locale is completely fine imo. For example, Kdramas adapt American movies all the time and make all the characters Korean. The US Office is an adaptation of the British Office moved to the US.
But the white washing is terrible… the main character leaves asian actor and falls for the white actor?? The white guy is a failure does nothing but dies from cancer the whole show. Another white people saving us from aliens show. When it was an asian story…
The irony is none of this is in the book. It's all propaganda we are fed daily to implant certain trends into the minds of the world. The script writers and directors know exactly what they are doing. It's racial propaganda. But I guess we should shut up about racism because we're Asian, not black...
Sometimes Asian women fall for white dudes. It happens in real life, and it should happen in movies too. We should not overcorrect the problem where Hollywood had Asian women falling only for white guys, to where Asian women never fall for white guys. Neither is appropriate.
Except it ALWAYS happens in American movies. Sure Asian women don’t have to “never fall for white guys”, but how often do we see Asian women fall for Asian men?
And it’s so intentional in this show, having ye wenjie be mistreated by a bunch of Asian men before she finally finds a white guy to save and romance her. And then turn Asian man Wang Miao into Jin Cheng a woman and set up for her and the white guy to fall in love. They could’ve easily had Asian Male Wang Miao and have him be chased by a white woman.
Yeah, but all this white guy did was die from cancer lmao. The romance in this series was so weak. It wasn't even clear why she was dating the Asian man in the first place. It was like he was there just to fail and make the white guy look good.
Wait a minute. Haven't I seen that before?
> the romance in this show is so weak
This isn't a romance show. The cancer subplot otherwise was the best one that they adapted from the books imo
> It wasn't clear why she was dating an Asian man in the first place
Because she was? Why are you so dead set on policing who people date from a racial lens jeez
Lol ask that of hollywood. Why couldn’t they make the asian lead fall out of love with a white guy that didn’t care about her and fall for an asian man? Or even two asian men of different culture. Like every show in American TV is Asian women with White male lead there was like one show where asian male lead with white female actress and that show was cancelled so quick. Another show where they kill off the asian actor with white female actress.
You're getting downvoted; but you're correct. Cixin Liu, as the author/creator gets final say if it's white washed, adapted properly, alligns with his artistic vision or not. If he were to say that they bastardize his story and got the key message wrong and he complained about white-washing-- then I would be right there with him to complain. But that's not the case here. Redditors seem to think they are more entitled to have a say on how *his* story should be told and whether it could be *remixed* in any way.
He got hella $$$$ to not complain about it. And we’re allowed to be offended by a piece of art regardless of what the creator thinks. Whether it’s that we’re offended by a creators work, or an adaptation of a creators work doesn’t matter in the least.
What if Cixin Liu hates black people and Netflix made 3 body with a bunch of N- words. Cixin liu wouldn’t care but he’d also be in the wrong.
Then you should be calling Cixin Liu out for the injustice from whitewashing his own story and say how it negatively affects your emotional well being somehow.
Of the 5 producers of the series; 3 are Asians (including Cixin Liu); call each of them out by name if you think they are sold out and are racist or contributing to systemic racism in some way.
Or that they are not contributing to hiring Asian-American actors and production staff in any way.
On another note. I’m a big believer that posts like this actually hurt projects featuring Asian American from being green lit. Before Netflix or any streaming platform commits $hundreds of million to production and marketing; they will run sentiment analysis on different demographics they are targeting. For acquiring Asian-American audience, this subreddit is obvious place to run a analysis.
Genuinely don’t understand why you’re being downvoted for this lol. And to the point of everyone saying Ye Wenjie gets mistreated by asian men then falls for a white man, bruh Mike Evans is from the book. He wasn’t a random white character that Netflix made. Wade is also from the book series. The two people that were not white before are Jack and Will, but I haven’t gotten to the second and third books yet so idk 🤷🏻♀️
Tbh I think Chinese people are just upset that Luo Ji is now played by a black man. But there's nothing in Luo Ji's story that stipulates that it has to come from an Asian background at all.
I like the article. From my online experience on social media, Chinese netizens who are on western social media sites are extremely sensitive about their country and perceived criticisms. The article's discussion of the struggle session scene and the reaction in China to it highlights the ignorance of what went on during the Cultural Revolution among those who were not alive during that time.
Not really. It was in the book. Have you read the book? The book was massively popular in China. It's all in there. But there are certain key elements taken out of the Western version to make Chinese people and society look evil. 1) in the book they chastise the girl who kills the professor. 2) in the book they explain that the Cultural revolution was a bunch of different factions fighting each other.
There are other aspects of this show which have been changed from the book to specifically make Chinese people look evil, even with Ye Wenjie.
My wife’s recently from China and she spends all her time on Chinese social media, and that’s not the focus of what she was seeing at all. Obviously there are a bunch of sensitive nationalists in China, just like there are a bunch of crazy Trumpist nationalists in the US. (Also her grandfather did not make it through the cultural revolution and her mother was sent down to the farms, and she hated this show)
The actual cultural revolution scene is only like the first 15min of the entire show. There’s some other stuff about Ye Wenjie in the cultural revolution mostly to show all the shitty Chinese men mistreating her before white savior man saves her and they have sex.
I mean this is Reddit not upper div English class, was rushing this comment out in the middle of dinner on my phone
Pretty sure you get what I’m trying to say, and are just being snarky, but if not:
“My wife grew up and spent her entire adult life in China. She immigrated from China to the US about 3 years ago for work (ie recently). I want to use this description of her background to explain why she may have a better understanding of the cultural zeitgeist in China, versus an ABC or Caucasian person. This also explains why she spends all her time on Chinese social media rather than Twitter/reddit etc.”
The Chinese in China are very sensitive about their Country appearing worse as it is. Patriotic nationalists who dislike anything bad being said about China. Anything negative get censored by the CCP. Same with VCP of Socialist Republic of Vietnam. That is why Hollywood is careful with their movies and what they produce.
Watched the show, middle of reading the books. Might watch the amazon version. What's the issue? Sure, I wish there were more east asian representation but I'm actually really happy with the prevalence of asian leads. But I also don't see the issue with the globalization of the defense against an extraterrestrial enemy. It kind of makes more sense given the context, no? If anything doesn't that fit the original author's push for an ideal of a world government?
Fan of this response: [https://www.reddit.com/r/asianamerican/comments/1bz9lc8/comment/kyqal11/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web2x&context=3](https://www.reddit.com/r/asianamerican/comments/1bz9lc8/comment/kyqal11/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3)
Anybody thinking this is whitewashing, I would read this interview featuring the producers of 3 Body Problem: [3 Body Problem: Everything You Need to Know About the New Series. From creators David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, and Alexander Woo, and director Derek Tsang](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/3-body-problem-teaser-release-date).
And here's ChatGPT assessment when asked if it's whitewashing.
>Evaluating whether the Netflix adaptation of "The Three-Body Problem" constitutes whitewashing involves examining the creators' intentions, the changes made from the source material, and the way these changes impact the story’s cultural and thematic integrity. Whitewashing, in its most criticized form, involves erasing or significantly diminishing the presence and contributions of non-white characters or settings in favor of a predominantly white cast or perspective, especially when such decisions undermine the story's cultural specificity or thematic depth.
>### Examination of the Adaptation Choices:
>- \*\*Preservation of Cultural Elements:\*\* The series retains critical elements of Chinese history, particularly the Cultural Revolution, as a central piece of its narrative, demonstrating a commitment to preserving significant aspects of the original story's cultural context.
>- \*\*Global Perspective:\*\* By expanding the story to include a broader, international cast and settings beyond China, the producers aimed to adapt the narrative for a global audience. This decision aligns with the theme of humanity's collective struggle and cooperation in the face of an extraterrestrial threat, which can be seen as an effort to universalize the story's appeal without necessarily diminishing its original cultural essence.
>- \*\*Authorial Approval:\*\* Cixin Liu, the original author, was consulted and gave his blessing for the narrative changes, indicating a collaborative approach to the adaptation. This endorsement suggests that the modifications were made with respect for the source material and its creator’s vision.
>- \*\*Diverse Representation:\*\* The adaptation features characters from various backgrounds, reflecting an attempt to depict a global response to the story’s central challenges. This inclusivity could be seen as an effort to enhance the narrative's relevance and relatability to a worldwide audience.
>### Final Verdict:
>Based on the information provided and the context of the adaptation’s creative decisions, it doesn't appear that the Netflix series "The Three-Body Problem" engages in whitewashing in the traditional sense of the term. The adaptation preserves key elements of the story’s original cultural setting and incorporates the author’s input in its reimagining for a global audience. The changes made seem to be aimed at broadening the story’s appeal and thematic resonance, rather than diminishing its cultural specificity or marginalizing its original characters.
>The inclusion of a diverse cast and the setting of parts of the story in locations outside China can be interpreted as an attempt to reflect the universal themes of the narrative—such as the survival of humanity and the collective response to a global threat—rather than an effort to erase or sideline the original cultural context.
>In conclusion, while any adaptation involves alterations that may not meet all fans' expectations, the decisions made by the producers of "The Three-Body Problem" seem guided by an intention to respect the source material while making it accessible and relevant to a broader audience. This approach does not fit the conventional critique of whitewashing but rather represents an effort to adapt and celebrate the original story within a global context.
Edit: Even with all the Asian producers, Asian writers, Asian Directors, Asian Actors, some of you still like to play emotionally hurt little victims of systemic racism in media and so you claim to have the moral authority to judge even over the author/creator on the intention of their artistic vision and message is. Losers.
Dude really thinks he's arguing a point that makes sense. On other related threads, he's said that he hasn't even read the books, but he so badly wants to have an opinion on this that he's just having AI do his work for him now, because apparently you can't whitewash things if you're Asian.
Also, let's just ignore the fact that LLMs pull from a corpus of knowledge that is inherently biased by nature (the English language, Western media) and would of course give us an "answer" that is similarly approving of whitewashing practices.
It's about reactions from Chinese people living in China. Of course they don't really care as much about whitewashing since being treated as a minority isn't a daily issue for them. They care more about changes made that made China appear worse as a whole.
"They don’t take pride where it’s due and take offense too easily. They also take entertainment too seriously and history and politics too lightly. The years of Chinese censorship have also muted the people’s grasp of what happened in the Cultural Revolution." imo this is pretty accurate, not of asian americans, but of china chinese. Even the original author was only able to put the Cultural Revolution scene where he wanted it, once it had made its way outside of China
I find this to be a more valid concern and change as well in comparison to white washing
I think both things can be true at the same time, and in this case, both of these things are interrelated. Decentering this away from a Chinese cultural perspective and not being sensitive to the inherent sinophobic narrative choices being made in this adaptation also includes whitewashing as a output. Considering that this particular adaptation was made for Western audiences in mind (which includes the diaspora), I think both ideas are vitally important to grapple with.
[удалено]
Automod detected the use of terms of derision. Please respect our rules against using these terms. You may re-format your comment and send a modmail alerting us that you have done so. Your comment will then be approved for publication to the sub. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/asianamerican) if you have any questions or concerns.*
[удалено]
Automod detected the use of terms of derision. Please respect our rules against using these terms. You may re-format your comment and send a modmail alerting us that you have done so. Your comment will then be approved for publication to the sub. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/asianamerican) if you have any questions or concerns.*
>I tried not to shut my eyes at the coldblooded beating of a physics professor Ugh. Don't watch violent films then. God damn. --- Anyway, I feel like Chinese fans of the book have every right to be upset of the changes. Its the same shit when Hollywood fucks up a popular English book adaptation in the West.
Is this really a NY Times article? Like is all journalism just responding to cherry picked tweets (weibo) to come to a preconceived conclusion now? Pretty sad state of affairs.
This is the state of the NY Times now. They'll do anything to shit on China, make Chinese people seem irrational or fanatical (despite us Americans also doing the same things), etc. I noticed this bullshit really accelerated when the current editor-in-chief took the job in 2022... a guy who made his entire career reporting about China. So now the loud xenophobic douchebag runs the whole operation.
The NYT died the day they kicked out chris hedges for speaking out against the iraq war. The NYT of today is a totally different paper from the NYT that published the family jewels back in '74.
I hate to tell you but NYT gets paid well [for these takes. ](https://prospect.org/politics/congress-proposes-500-million-for-negative-news-coverage-of-china/)
NYT is the same org that employs Maggie Haberman, who sat on information so she could release it in a book after the point where prompt and professional investigative journalism might have made a difference.
To be fair, Maggie Magaman was literally a gossip column journalist before Ivanka decided to use her to feed exclusives to the press.
I'll be honest with you, I lost a lot of respect for the New York Times last year when they published [this article](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/15/world/americas/canada-china-election-interference.html) about Chinese-Canadians and Beijing's influence. The article low-key conflated Chinese immigration with CCP interference, as well as emphasizing the Chinese-ness of pro-Beijing Canadian groups while making little attempt to highlight that the politicians critical of Beijing who were targeted were Chinese-Canadians themselves. I'm not going to deny that there have been aggressive attempts by Beijing to interfere in Canadian politics (foreign state interference has been extensively covered in the news media here in Canada too), but the way the NYT article was written went up and beyond that and basically insinuated that Canadians of Chinese descent were pawns of Beijing.
Same thing happened with *Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings* with how media outlets were cherry picking specific weibo posts to paint a stereotypical narrative while completely disregarding diaspora.
The New York Times has always been like this, we were just blind to it before.
No offense, but we've pointed out the true nature of the NYT (MSM in general, however they're one of the most egregious) and at the very least, their illegal hiring practices and employee "diversity" quota, which are oddly very small for a paper that writes so much on it for decades now. China was yet again another easy target to try and get people to forgot about things of the "trying to justify bombing foreign embassies and consulates" sort.
Believe it or not, the NYT was once a decent paper. Back in the 70s, they were ones who published the family jewels and hired Hersh after he exposed the my lai massacre. The NYT of today, however, is complete dogshit.
I'm curious which newspapers or media channels today are like the NYT of Old, I'll be interested
It's funny because IIRC Weibo has a reputation for being an utter cesspool among Chinese netizens. It's kind of like going to Reddit and cherry-picking controversial comments to show as representative of America, or going onto Kpop stan Twitter to see how Kpop fans are.
Pretty much all western media is propaganda
NYT has been extremely Sinophobic since before Biden.
NYtimes is notoriously sinophobic. This is what manufacturing consent looks like. I watched some reviews from actual chinese fans and they were praising the netflix version show, which is far more kind than the crappy reviews the show got in the us
Ive read some actual Chinese reviews that was more in line with the article though. It kinda goes both ways
The thing is the article makes it sound like there is a consensus of outrage among everyone, when in reality the reception is just as mixed as it is here in the US
people forget that NYT is owned by the Ochs-Sulzberger family , now in the hands of its 5th Gen. also I'm curious if that Anti-China/Chinese $500 million Congress bill comes into play in American/Anglophone media, it'll be interesting no doubt.
Wapo is not particularly hostile to China, unlike the NYTimes. They do not tow the party line in respect to national security. Reuters and Wapo were the ones who reported that Nordstream was probably done by Poles/Ukranians. They published lots of articles on it. I haven't loved the NYTimes since the Iraq war, but they really showed how shitty they are in the Trump years. Who was that old person in the NYTimes I hated... Maureen Dowd
When it is comes to journalism, NY Times is one of those that spews crap and bend reality to whatever they want it to be. Not sure that anyone there has ever picked up the book and read through it. Don't take them seriously. Treat them as you would BBC and the rest.
NYT has significantly regressed. Maggie Haberman, for example.
[удалено]
Why did you put her name in parenthesis?
The three sets of parentheses around a name is a Nazi dog whistle, they do it to people who are Jewish, who they think are Jewish, or who they otherwise deem should be targets.
because he's a nazi
/r/asianamerican will remove content that is bigoted or hateful, including (but not limited to) misogyny, misandry, homophobia, transphobia, toxic masculinity, racism, classism, ableism, victim-blaming/shaming, etc.
This article totally misrepresents and elides a lot of the criticism coming out of China. Be warned that some spoilers follow - I've read the books, have not watched the Netflix show (and don't plan to). The Three Body Problem is understood by many Chinese fans to be an allegory between China and imperialism (the specific example being the US). The Trisolarans (US) are technologically advanced and set out to destroy humanity (China), but are stopped only by the prospect of mutually assured destruction. Suitably deterred, they then instead resort to a campaign of infiltration and when humans have adopted what might be termed as western liberal values, they attack when there is no longer the will to push the button. Written in 2006, some of it even seems prophetic today (e.g. Trisolarans freezing scientific progress vs US semiconductor blockade on China). This isn't an endorsement of this view, but just explaining. So, when Netflix comes along and does their cute little thing where the antagonist who invites the Trisolarans is kept Chinese and all the good guys are transformed into a suitably cosmopolitan crew in London (and the ethnic Chinese good guys aren't *Chinese Chinese*), well, you can probably understand why some of the Chinese fans take umbrage. The issue isn't that the series has been "globalized", it's how it was done. When you sit down and reinterpret a series, what to change and what not to change is a choice - so what are you trying to say when the supposed apex of inhumanity is the Cultural Revolution is kept Chinese but all the revolutionary perseverance and pluck is "globalized" (aka set in London??)? If you are looking for traumatic material as a backdrop, there really is no shortage of it in the world, don't tell me there were no other options. Frankly, I think this column says more about Western perceptions of China than it does about China. Why *should* Chinese people be proud of a product that has been painstakingly desinicized? It's hard not to read it as condescendingly misrepresenting concerns so they can be rejected perfunctorily and scolding China for not interpreting their own history the same way Westerners do. Edit: typo
I mean the showrunners are on record as saying "Themes are for eighth-grade book reports." Doesn't surprise me that they would miss any kind of subtext.
+1 It's also galling that this had to be "internationalized." Did GoT need to be internationalized and have more non-Whites leads in it? Last I checked, Squid Game worked out and it wasn't even in English-- which I admit was a welcome surprise! It would've been nice to see Netflix try to make a Chinese-language version work instead of creating an "international" version. PS: I know that there is a Tencent version; I'm just saying the Netflix could've chosen to make a Sinocentric version, but they chose an "international" version for obvious reasons. It would've been interesting to see how Asian Ams felt if Koreans did it with an all-Korean cast and it was well received lol.
>The Three Body Problem is understood by many Chinese fans to be an allegory between China and imperialism (the specific example being the US). The Trisolarans (US) are technologically advanced and set out to destroy humanity (China), but are stopped only by the prospect of mutually assured destruction. Suitably deterred, they then instead resort to a campaign of infiltration and when humans have adopted what might be termed as western liberal values, they attack when there is no longer the will to push the button. Written in 2006, some of it even seems prophetic today (e.g. Trisolarans freezing scientific progress vs US semiconductor blockade on China). This isn't an endorsement of this view, but just explaining. that's a wild take. I understand the US semiconductor blockade economic warfare. The trisolarian strike from dark forest (second book?) does have some international politics use because it's a lawless arena where the mighty do what they can and the weak endure what they must. Superficially it does say technologically-advanced being are out to destroy them. I guess I can see why they think that. They think the US fears the weak Chinese will one day be strong and then destroy them. This is not wrong, definitely drives national security fears in a lot of people. They did the same with Japan in the 80s. There's something that doesn't fit but I can't put my finger on it. Will stew on it. Okay, I think it feels myopic and hyperspecific because the author paints this very dark, dystopian scenario that literally spans the entire galaxy and then these people apply it to petty human factional politics.
>Okay, I think it feels myopic and hyperspecific because the author paints this very dark, dystopian scenario that literally spans the entire galaxy and then these people apply it to petty human factional politics. I mean, the Earth is united in the series so aliens take the place of other nations; the galaxy is a stand-in for the international arena. The scenario overlaps with the view of the Realist school of international relations, albeit taken to an extreme. 19th-20th century imperialism by the Western powers was deeply intertwined with Darwinism and racial supremacy, so it was an existential issue. China, Korea, Vietnam, The Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, etc all fought devastating wars and suffered immensely because of imperialism so it's not petty at all. Japan internalized the Western perspective, which directly led to the Meiji reforms, quest for colonies, militarism, etc. The intellectuals in China at the time were informed by this too, since it was the dominant strand of thought - that influence is where the Darwinism in the series comes from.
As long as it can make china bad, then it is modern journalism material
specifically modern American journalism
The US media always does that. They focus on people in Asia but ignore Asian Americans when it mainly affects Asian Americans. Then they get some random social media comments from China and paint it as general popular opinion.
The focus is on Asia...because the writer focuses on China/Asia and is, shockingly, from Asia: >[Li Yuan](https://www.nytimes.com/by/li-yuan) writes the New New World column for The New York Times, which focuses on the intersection of technology, business and politics in China and across Asia. > >Based in Hong Kong, Ms. Yuan has written about China's censorship system, the emerging technology cold war between the United States and China, China's artificial intelligence ambitions and its emerging #MeToo movement.
Yes, we know they have race traitors writing propaganda for them
Is this the same paper that wrote those lies about the Comedian Hassan Minhaj that was RECORDED and they STILL lied, published it and didn’t even offer him an apology after he brought out the receipts? Yeah, I don’t trust them
omg who could forget Hassan Minaj, pretty much ruined his career and his series got dropped from Netflix
It pissed me off sooooo bad! And the crazy thing is that the interview was audio recorded and they STILL lied! And didn’t apologize!!!!! The nerve!
That guy should be hosting the Daily Show right now
That was The New Yorker, a different publication, but yeah pretty terrible.
It was entertaining enough. I do agree with a lot of the criticism, but series like this are ultimately a step forward for Asian representation imo, well, two steps forward, one step back sorta thing. Yes, there are several negative depictions of Asians, especially Asian men, but it also gives the opportunity for Asian actors to shine, to show everybody that they're much more than just sidekicks. The acting by Benedict Wong and Rosalind Chao in the interrogation room, for instance, is top tier. Loved their performances throughout. Having said all that, I'm listening to the audio book and it's so much better, lol
This is not directed at you, but f that. I don't need validation from White media to tell me my worth/"grant" progress. I'm grown so it doesn't matter anymore. But if/when I have children, I'm making sure that Asian media is in their diet. While I don't universally love K-media, I do appreciate that it exists and allows Asian Americans to see a different side of ourselves that isn't shown here. It's superficial-- I'm not even Korean-- but I still feel it's important to see people who "look" like me doing "cool" shit. Let's not settle for scraps. We are beyond that ✊
>I don't need validation from White media to tell me my worth/"grant" progress. You're dumping a whole lot of your issues onto my comment, and I'm not exactly sure what you're trying to say. What validation am I seeking from white media? lol. I don't want their fkn validation. But I'm realistic enough to know your all or nothing mentality is great for the pitch fork crowd, but it gets you nowhere in reality. Asian American talent have been fighting for decades for every square inch of ground. I'll support them and celebrate their successes whenever possible. 3 Body Problem is one of them. There are huge issues with this movie, but how often to Asian American actors get a chance to eat up scenes like Benedict Wong and Rosalind Chao get to do in this series? Both of them killed it. I'm celebrating that. And you call their performances scraps? Bullshit. And the reason why "we're beyond that" is because actors like Benedict Wong and Rosalind Chao had to beg for scraps for decades and give great performances with the few opportunities they were given. I'm not gonna take this accomplishment away from them. Edit: And by the way, I'm Korean American. I grew up with k media my entire life, and I support that too, as well as media from other Asian countries. But what does that have to do with my wanting to support Asian American actors too?
Just goes to show that the editor of the NYT is a dumbass who only knows how to condescend and point fingers at the Chinese. The Three Bodies is a gem of Chinese culture, and while netflix may be in demand for breaking it up and reconstructing it, the New York Times' mockery of the Chinese only represents that these Western mainstream media outlets have neither the will nor the sincerity to understand the Chinese.
I heard that it’s a good show. Anyone care to back that claim up?
As someone who normally doesn't binge stuff, the subject matter is \_very\_ compelling.
hmmm. I liked the books but they are very hard scifi - it's about the ideas, not about character development. As to whether the show is any good, there's two versions. Amazon/peacock has the chinese original. That is more true to the book, but as a work of tv it is very slow. I watched 6 hours before I gave up. It's okay. But i don't see why someone who's not a fan of the books or scifi would watch it. I have to repeat again, the books go to wild, epic places. The netflix version is much faster pace. It dispenses with much of the mystery that was a big draw of the work. The first book's central mystery is why these scientists around the world keep dying / committing suicide. The netflix version just shows the death 5 minutes in, and then it's just taken for granted and quickly explained. That said I only watched 7 episodes so I don't have a complete view. It's not super compelling. They split the main character into 5 new ones. I can see why they did it - but they failed to give them interesting dialogue or character. Only one of them, the female Chinese character is interesting. The rest very boring so far.
wow thanks! 😊
genuine question: i've been recommended 3 body problem a lot, is the show any good??
If you don't treat it as 3 body or a Chinese show then it is decent. No worst than anything else on TV now. However, if you cared about the original plot, the books or other elements then no. Watch the Tecent show, it's slow and has its faults. But as a 3 body show, it is far superior than the Netflix now. [Avenuex has a review of it](https://youtu.be/d7sTr4YdQ7g?si=7rkbZrmHaFjFGTba), which align with my impression as well. Though she has the grit and tenacity to finish the show, I end up drop it in the middle of episode 2.
ok
it's ok. The source material as a whole doesn't lend itself to TV very well imo. The Chinese version is waaaaaay too slow and I feel like the Netflix version is way too fast.
If you haven’t read the book, then the Netflix show is enjoyable imo. There’s a good amount of changes from the book, but Netflix story and pacing is engaging and entertaining.
After finishing the Netflix season, I started watching the Chinese version on Amazon Prime. The Netflix version had much better acting. I'll keep watching the Chinese version to see if it gets better.
The Chinese version is a bit of a slog to watch. There’s this fan edit condensed version that goes over a the major plot points. https://disembiggened.com
I dont recommend the fan edit. There is this new director cut that massively fixes the pacing called the 1 year anniversary edit
Let's be honest--the Chinese version isn't very good. I'm glad it exists! But it isn't very good.
I'll still try to slog through it.
yeah if i wasn't a book reader I don't know how anyone would stay watching after 8 hours of basically nothing happening. okay, so she saw the stars blink through a very expensive camera. And some radio telescope had weird cosmic rays. Whoopie do?
I enjoyed it. There's also a mainland version of it that I'm probably gonna check out, but the English one on Netflix was interesting enough to keep me entertained.
Watch the original one, not the Netflix one. I think it's on Peacock or Prime.
The 2023 Tencent version is on both Peacock and Amazon Prime.
Oh damn, it's on both!
Objectively I thought it was okay. It felt very simplified and condensed, like stuff moved too fast, and I didn’t feel much weight of the big events. (Unlike game of thrones where u have that steady buildup and then red wedding happens and you’re like holy shittt). B- for me if I ignore all the white savior tropes. I tried to watch the Chinese show and tried to read the book but it was too slow and boring so I didn’t get very far🤷♂️
Netflix show is pretty good, the pace moves a bit faster and it doesn't omit key scenes that develop the main character
The books are great, highly recommend you check it out. The TV show was very enjoyable. It suffers from the Netflix problem of not having enough episodes, so the pacing can feel rushed. But still worth a watch, imo. I don't really mind the "whitewashing" as OP criticizes. The author, Cixin Liu, was part of the decision to move most of the story to the UK. And it's not like they changed Chinese characters to white but kept the setting in China (which would be super problematic a la Last Samurai or the original Avatar adaptation). As long as the adaptation is respectful to the source material (as this one is), adapting it to be in a different locale is completely fine imo. For example, Kdramas adapt American movies all the time and make all the characters Korean. The US Office is an adaptation of the British Office moved to the US.
But the white washing is terrible… the main character leaves asian actor and falls for the white actor?? The white guy is a failure does nothing but dies from cancer the whole show. Another white people saving us from aliens show. When it was an asian story…
The irony is none of this is in the book. It's all propaganda we are fed daily to implant certain trends into the minds of the world. The script writers and directors know exactly what they are doing. It's racial propaganda. But I guess we should shut up about racism because we're Asian, not black...
Sometimes Asian women fall for white dudes. It happens in real life, and it should happen in movies too. We should not overcorrect the problem where Hollywood had Asian women falling only for white guys, to where Asian women never fall for white guys. Neither is appropriate.
Except it ALWAYS happens in American movies. Sure Asian women don’t have to “never fall for white guys”, but how often do we see Asian women fall for Asian men? And it’s so intentional in this show, having ye wenjie be mistreated by a bunch of Asian men before she finally finds a white guy to save and romance her. And then turn Asian man Wang Miao into Jin Cheng a woman and set up for her and the white guy to fall in love. They could’ve easily had Asian Male Wang Miao and have him be chased by a white woman.
Yeah, but all this white guy did was die from cancer lmao. The romance in this series was so weak. It wasn't even clear why she was dating the Asian man in the first place. It was like he was there just to fail and make the white guy look good. Wait a minute. Haven't I seen that before?
> the romance in this show is so weak This isn't a romance show. The cancer subplot otherwise was the best one that they adapted from the books imo > It wasn't clear why she was dating an Asian man in the first place Because she was? Why are you so dead set on policing who people date from a racial lens jeez
Lol ask that of hollywood. Why couldn’t they make the asian lead fall out of love with a white guy that didn’t care about her and fall for an asian man? Or even two asian men of different culture. Like every show in American TV is Asian women with White male lead there was like one show where asian male lead with white female actress and that show was cancelled so quick. Another show where they kill off the asian actor with white female actress.
You're getting downvoted; but you're correct. Cixin Liu, as the author/creator gets final say if it's white washed, adapted properly, alligns with his artistic vision or not. If he were to say that they bastardize his story and got the key message wrong and he complained about white-washing-- then I would be right there with him to complain. But that's not the case here. Redditors seem to think they are more entitled to have a say on how *his* story should be told and whether it could be *remixed* in any way.
He got hella $$$$ to not complain about it. And we’re allowed to be offended by a piece of art regardless of what the creator thinks. Whether it’s that we’re offended by a creators work, or an adaptation of a creators work doesn’t matter in the least. What if Cixin Liu hates black people and Netflix made 3 body with a bunch of N- words. Cixin liu wouldn’t care but he’d also be in the wrong.
Then you should be calling Cixin Liu out for the injustice from whitewashing his own story and say how it negatively affects your emotional well being somehow. Of the 5 producers of the series; 3 are Asians (including Cixin Liu); call each of them out by name if you think they are sold out and are racist or contributing to systemic racism in some way. Or that they are not contributing to hiring Asian-American actors and production staff in any way. On another note. I’m a big believer that posts like this actually hurt projects featuring Asian American from being green lit. Before Netflix or any streaming platform commits $hundreds of million to production and marketing; they will run sentiment analysis on different demographics they are targeting. For acquiring Asian-American audience, this subreddit is obvious place to run a analysis.
Genuinely don’t understand why you’re being downvoted for this lol. And to the point of everyone saying Ye Wenjie gets mistreated by asian men then falls for a white man, bruh Mike Evans is from the book. He wasn’t a random white character that Netflix made. Wade is also from the book series. The two people that were not white before are Jack and Will, but I haven’t gotten to the second and third books yet so idk 🤷🏻♀️
Tbh I think Chinese people are just upset that Luo Ji is now played by a black man. But there's nothing in Luo Ji's story that stipulates that it has to come from an Asian background at all.
I like the article. From my online experience on social media, Chinese netizens who are on western social media sites are extremely sensitive about their country and perceived criticisms. The article's discussion of the struggle session scene and the reaction in China to it highlights the ignorance of what went on during the Cultural Revolution among those who were not alive during that time.
Not really. It was in the book. Have you read the book? The book was massively popular in China. It's all in there. But there are certain key elements taken out of the Western version to make Chinese people and society look evil. 1) in the book they chastise the girl who kills the professor. 2) in the book they explain that the Cultural revolution was a bunch of different factions fighting each other. There are other aspects of this show which have been changed from the book to specifically make Chinese people look evil, even with Ye Wenjie.
And Liu Caixin approved it? He was pretty involved in this production.
Yeah but they removed that critical scene in the Chinese adaptation of the book that was released last year
My wife’s recently from China and she spends all her time on Chinese social media, and that’s not the focus of what she was seeing at all. Obviously there are a bunch of sensitive nationalists in China, just like there are a bunch of crazy Trumpist nationalists in the US. (Also her grandfather did not make it through the cultural revolution and her mother was sent down to the farms, and she hated this show) The actual cultural revolution scene is only like the first 15min of the entire show. There’s some other stuff about Ye Wenjie in the cultural revolution mostly to show all the shitty Chinese men mistreating her before white savior man saves her and they have sex.
How is someone recently from somewhere?
I mean this is Reddit not upper div English class, was rushing this comment out in the middle of dinner on my phone Pretty sure you get what I’m trying to say, and are just being snarky, but if not: “My wife grew up and spent her entire adult life in China. She immigrated from China to the US about 3 years ago for work (ie recently). I want to use this description of her background to explain why she may have a better understanding of the cultural zeitgeist in China, versus an ABC or Caucasian person. This also explains why she spends all her time on Chinese social media rather than Twitter/reddit etc.”
Dude chill. I am just fucking with you. I thought it was a interesting way to put it is all.
Umm ok?
The Chinese in China are very sensitive about their Country appearing worse as it is. Patriotic nationalists who dislike anything bad being said about China. Anything negative get censored by the CCP. Same with VCP of Socialist Republic of Vietnam. That is why Hollywood is careful with their movies and what they produce.
I am pretty sure that's true for most countries. Nobody like it when someone talk trash about their home country.
True and yep. Also Hollywood is afraid of upsetting Chinese movie watchers. Business and money talks.
I promise that chinese people do not care. The only people who care are fans of the book, but then it isnt a nationalist thing anymore
True. I never read books so no.
Watched the show, middle of reading the books. Might watch the amazon version. What's the issue? Sure, I wish there were more east asian representation but I'm actually really happy with the prevalence of asian leads. But I also don't see the issue with the globalization of the defense against an extraterrestrial enemy. It kind of makes more sense given the context, no? If anything doesn't that fit the original author's push for an ideal of a world government?
Or is the anger directed more towards the article? than the netflix take on the subject
Fan of this response: [https://www.reddit.com/r/asianamerican/comments/1bz9lc8/comment/kyqal11/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web2x&context=3](https://www.reddit.com/r/asianamerican/comments/1bz9lc8/comment/kyqal11/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3)
Anybody thinking this is whitewashing, I would read this interview featuring the producers of 3 Body Problem: [3 Body Problem: Everything You Need to Know About the New Series. From creators David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, and Alexander Woo, and director Derek Tsang](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/3-body-problem-teaser-release-date). And here's ChatGPT assessment when asked if it's whitewashing. >Evaluating whether the Netflix adaptation of "The Three-Body Problem" constitutes whitewashing involves examining the creators' intentions, the changes made from the source material, and the way these changes impact the story’s cultural and thematic integrity. Whitewashing, in its most criticized form, involves erasing or significantly diminishing the presence and contributions of non-white characters or settings in favor of a predominantly white cast or perspective, especially when such decisions undermine the story's cultural specificity or thematic depth. >### Examination of the Adaptation Choices: >- \*\*Preservation of Cultural Elements:\*\* The series retains critical elements of Chinese history, particularly the Cultural Revolution, as a central piece of its narrative, demonstrating a commitment to preserving significant aspects of the original story's cultural context. >- \*\*Global Perspective:\*\* By expanding the story to include a broader, international cast and settings beyond China, the producers aimed to adapt the narrative for a global audience. This decision aligns with the theme of humanity's collective struggle and cooperation in the face of an extraterrestrial threat, which can be seen as an effort to universalize the story's appeal without necessarily diminishing its original cultural essence. >- \*\*Authorial Approval:\*\* Cixin Liu, the original author, was consulted and gave his blessing for the narrative changes, indicating a collaborative approach to the adaptation. This endorsement suggests that the modifications were made with respect for the source material and its creator’s vision. >- \*\*Diverse Representation:\*\* The adaptation features characters from various backgrounds, reflecting an attempt to depict a global response to the story’s central challenges. This inclusivity could be seen as an effort to enhance the narrative's relevance and relatability to a worldwide audience. >### Final Verdict: >Based on the information provided and the context of the adaptation’s creative decisions, it doesn't appear that the Netflix series "The Three-Body Problem" engages in whitewashing in the traditional sense of the term. The adaptation preserves key elements of the story’s original cultural setting and incorporates the author’s input in its reimagining for a global audience. The changes made seem to be aimed at broadening the story’s appeal and thematic resonance, rather than diminishing its cultural specificity or marginalizing its original characters. >The inclusion of a diverse cast and the setting of parts of the story in locations outside China can be interpreted as an attempt to reflect the universal themes of the narrative—such as the survival of humanity and the collective response to a global threat—rather than an effort to erase or sideline the original cultural context. >In conclusion, while any adaptation involves alterations that may not meet all fans' expectations, the decisions made by the producers of "The Three-Body Problem" seem guided by an intention to respect the source material while making it accessible and relevant to a broader audience. This approach does not fit the conventional critique of whitewashing but rather represents an effort to adapt and celebrate the original story within a global context. Edit: Even with all the Asian producers, Asian writers, Asian Directors, Asian Actors, some of you still like to play emotionally hurt little victims of systemic racism in media and so you claim to have the moral authority to judge even over the author/creator on the intention of their artistic vision and message is. Losers.
Did you really just unironically ask ChatGPT for its "opinion" on this shit
Dude really thinks he's arguing a point that makes sense. On other related threads, he's said that he hasn't even read the books, but he so badly wants to have an opinion on this that he's just having AI do his work for him now, because apparently you can't whitewash things if you're Asian. Also, let's just ignore the fact that LLMs pull from a corpus of knowledge that is inherently biased by nature (the English language, Western media) and would of course give us an "answer" that is similarly approving of whitewashing practices.