Illustration: Hang Dachuan/Global Times

Just like the original novel, the TV version of The Three-Body Problem has received better-than-expected reviews from overseas audiences since it hit international markets. It has not only offered international audiences a glimpse of China's world outlook and unique romance but also paves the way for Chinese TV shows to expand their influence around the world.

The Chinese sci-fi masterpiece by Liu Cixin has proven its charm again. Three-Body, which began streaming on Tencent Video on January 15, has met with audiences in different regions around the world, including North America and Europe. lt will be broadcasted in Japan, Russia and other territories in the coming months. On international media review platforms such as IMDb, the ratings for 19 episodes in a row are over 9.0/10. Comments such as "very engaging and interesting" and "refreshing and fantastic" can be constantly seen in many reviews on these platforms. 

Good reviews can bring more followers to the series. The number of views on YouTube surpassed 4 million on February 5, among which around 42 percent were from North American users. Additionally, the show has topped charts on Tencent Video's international platform We TV in North America since its launch, according to data from Tencent Video.

The setting of the series is nearly the same as the original novel. The story breaks the limitations of time and space on Earth to head out into the vastness of space with a grand narrative. This epic momentum is one of the most attractive features of the sci-fi work, together with its artistic cinematography and thought-provoking concepts. From novel to TV series, the overseas popularity of the top sci-fi IP can represent the development trend of the Chinese film and TV industry. It is yet another successful example of Chinese sci-fi taking the international stage with a novel story containing both Chinese elements and worldwide issues. Meanwhile, it also has paved a new way for the Chinese TV production industry to win in international markets.

This new way involves using Chinese narratives to explore issues of concern for the whole human race.

Three-Body poster Photo: WETV

Although China has already become a major global producer of TV dramas and the types of themes are diverse, cultural barriers have kept China-made TV works from having really wide influence around the world.

Some popular genres of Chinese TV series such as period, romance and wuxia (a genre about adventures of martial arts heroes) are the main force of introducing Chinese TV programming to the world, but their influence has mainly been limited to Asia.

But this time, the performance of Three-Body has broken from this situation, offering a good example for other genres shows. It has not only won the hearts of Asian audiences, but also received a flood of attention and compliments in other regions whose culture differs from China, such as the North American market. 

Now, Chinese sci-fi TV series have the opportunity to grab a larger market share in international markets.

The reasons for the series' success include its respect for the original novel, high production quality, stunning visuals and excellent music that perfectly fits the feeling of a scene, in addition to the rigorous scientific basis and logic of the story. 

At the same time, one of the most important factors is the grand global outlook presented in the series and in the original novel. Liu is great at discussing issues involving the Earth in its entirety, be it The Three-Body Problem or The Wandering Earth. 

The core concepts conveyed in these sci-fi works, such as uniting together to save the Earth, targets real life global concerns like climate change. This is also the reason behind the success of the film series The Wandering Earth.