Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's 2015 New Year's resolution was to read an important book every two weeks and discuss it with the Facebook community. Zuckerberg's book club, a Year of Books focused on big ideas that influence society and business. He's broken up these heavy books with some lighter science fiction, as he's done with his 20th pick, Liu Cixin's "The Three-Body Problem."
The Three Body Problem was first published in China in 2008, and the English translation that came out last year won the 2015 Hugo Award for Best Novel, an award for sci-fi book of the year. It's set during Mao Zedong's Cultural Revolution, and kicks off when an alien race decides to invade Earth after the Chinese government covertly sends a signal into space. Zuckerberg's science fiction picks may be lighter fare than his other selections, but they all have some cultural relevance he's trying to tap into. With "The Three Body Problem," it's notable that it became a bestselling sensation and soon-to-be blockbuster in China, since science fiction has typically had a weak presence in Communist China, according to a 2014 New York Times profile of Liu. The growing popularity of the genre, led by Liu, is indicative of changes in the culture.
"China is on the path of rapid modernization and progress a kind of that is like the U.S. during her golden age of science fiction in the '30s to the '60s," Liu told the Times. "The future in the people's eyes is full of attractions, temptations and hope. But at the same time, it is also full of threats and challenges. That makes for very fertile soil." Zuckerberg, who taught himself Mandarin, has been a student of Chinese culture over the past few years as he's tried to persuade the Chinese government to grant its 1.4 billion citizens access to his social network. On his personal Facebook page, he said "The Three-Body Problem" will be "a fun break from all the economics and social science books I've read recently.
The Three Body Problem was first published in China in 2008, and the English translation that came out last year won the 2015 Hugo Award for Best Novel, an award for sci-fi book of the year. It's set during Mao Zedong's Cultural Revolution, and kicks off when an alien race decides to invade Earth after the Chinese government covertly sends a signal into space. Zuckerberg's science fiction picks may be lighter fare than his other selections, but they all have some cultural relevance he's trying to tap into. With "The Three Body Problem," it's notable that it became a bestselling sensation and soon-to-be blockbuster in China, since science fiction has typically had a weak presence in Communist China, according to a 2014 New York Times profile of Liu. The growing popularity of the genre, led by Liu, is indicative of changes in the culture.
"China is on the path of rapid modernization and progress a kind of that is like the U.S. during her golden age of science fiction in the '30s to the '60s," Liu told the Times. "The future in the people's eyes is full of attractions, temptations and hope. But at the same time, it is also full of threats and challenges. That makes for very fertile soil." Zuckerberg, who taught himself Mandarin, has been a student of Chinese culture over the past few years as he's tried to persuade the Chinese government to grant its 1.4 billion citizens access to his social network. On his personal Facebook page, he said "The Three-Body Problem" will be "a fun break from all the economics and social science books I've read recently.
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