How Liu Cixin lost control over "The Three-Body Problem" universe, likely China's most valuable intellectual property.
Illustration by Luis Grañena
Late last month, the world’s top science-fiction authors and thousands of adoring fans convened in Chengdu for the World Science Fiction Convention, or WorldCon. Although the event, which gives out the prestigious Hugo Awards, has been held each year since 1939,Except for 1942–1945, during World War II. this year was the very first time that China hosted it, a coup that can be largely attributed to one man: Liu Cixin.
Liu Cixin is the author of the trilogy Remembrance of Earth’s Past, a series that is better known by the title of its first novel, The Three-Body Problem. Originally published as a novel in China in 2008, The Three-Body Problem was translated into English in 2012 and quickly became a global phenomenon. It has sold more than 30 million copies and been translated into over 30 languages. At 2015’s WorldCon, Liu became the first Asian writer to win a Hugo Award, and the book even got former President Barack Obama’s stamp of approval, as he put it on his annual re
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