Four Secret Ways Cixin Liu Dominates Science Fiction, and How You Can Employ Them

Hello everyone!

I'm back with another post. For the past two years, I've been enjoying stories by this Chinese sci-fi writer by the name of Cixin Liu. You may recognize his name from the Netflix series, The 3 Body Problem, an adaptation of his Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy. After reading his anthology A View From the Stars and several excerpts from his short story collection To Hold Up the Sky, I felt like I should leave my commentary about them here, as I feel that Liu helped me, albeit indirectly, through his stories, and has shown other writers some clever ways to stand out.

Who Is Cixin Liu?

Cixin Liu is the most prolific science fiction writer in the People's Republic of China, earning him the nickname of "Da Liu" (Big Liu). Charming audiences with his unconventional and unique stories, he has amassed an international following outside of the Sinosphere the past few years, mostly facilitated by the translation of his magnum opus trilogy containing the novel The Three Body Problem into English and further distribution throughout the Western world. By combining tropes common in political and technothrillers such as those by Tom Clancy with classic or original storylines in SFF and current events and science, he has brought freshness to the genre by choosing to write something unique. However, most of his stories are tailored to an adult audience due to some mature themes, and there are a few scenes that would frighten or be inappropriate for younger readers, so mindful consumption is encouraged.

What Makes his Writings Unique

The Endings

One thing that makes Da Liu's writing unique is that many of his stories end on a hopeful or upbeat note. And when I mean hope and upbeat, I'm not referring to a Pollyanna-esque type of hope that is naïve or unrealistic, as he also has been willing to have more gloomy endings. 

Unlike other science fiction writers, who just provide a satisfying solution to the main conflict and oftentimes a return to the original order, Liu takes it a step further. No matter how chaotic a story can get, how many sacrifices need to be made to achieve a goal or prevent evil from spreading, or how stressful a situation can become, Liu always shows that hope can exist. For example, in one of his stories, two of the main characters, after learning about an impending alien invasion, are made aware of an aspect of humans that the aliens overlooked in their invasion plot that can enable human victory. In another short story, an alien probe hears a piece of classical music, and reflects that it was the most beautiful music he had ever heard. Because contemporary genre SF produced by Western authors and media companies has failed to achieve this sense of hope and glorification of what's good about humanity, I feel that this is one characteristic of his writings as to what has caused him to gain such a wide following abroad.

A Sense of Wonder

Liu reported that he wanted to create "a sense of wonder" in his writings (Liu, 2024). He'd be glad to hear that I believe he has achieved this. Usually, after reading one of his stories, I feel inspired, and sometimes uplifted. While I feel he takes this a little too far, almost to the point of surrealism or being completely unrealistic, he always achieves a sense of wonder. 

Different Cultures and Perspectives

Being a Chinese author, Liu's stories often contain a cast of characters that are almost exclusively Chinese. Because of this, there are many references to Chinese history, idioms, culture, and philosophy in his stories, which could attract younger readers. Additionally, this can educate readers about Sinitic perspectives and history. 

Moreover, his perspectives about Westerners, upcoming technologies, and world events are unique. Because they do not always align with what is expected of someone with Liu's background, reading about these situations with his perspective is a thought-provoking experience.

The Three U's: Unusual, Unconventional, Unexpected

Many of his stories combine unusual, unconventional, and/or unexpected elements, even if they are subtle and are not noticed during the first reading. For example, one story involves a multispecies civilization of highly-advanced cyborgs that use black holes as weapons, while another involves a spacecraft from an invaded nation flying into the sun to cause an EMP emission that disables the invaders' military operation. While too many surprises or deviations from the norm could deter readers, Liu oftentimes foreshadows these events, choosing carefully when to have them be a surprise so that the reader is not deterred and instead kept in suspense.

The Influence on my Own Writings

So, Cixin Liu changed the way I think about writing science fiction. While I avoid directly plagiarizing his works, he made me mindful about the four elements he employs in his stories. Instead of following in the footsteps of conventional Western writers who end with despair for a difficult situation, I found ways to incorporate realistic hope into my stories. While I already came up with unconventional science fiction tropes and plot arcs, I feel like Liu's precision has made me reflect on how to employ these so that I avoid creating deus ex machina devices in my story but surprise readers and keep them immersed in my story. By writing in perspectives other than the author's own and making references to history, he taught me how certain types of people or events are perceived in a new lens. Additionally, incorporating these elements lays the foundation for readers to muse about your world, leaving them in a sense of wonderment, though elaborating on this by emphasizing the beauty or grandiosity of your world can also further this effect.

Because of the enrichment my stories took on after employing these qualities, I would recommend that everyone who is interested in becoming a science fiction writer try to incorporate these elements into their stories to perfect their craft.

With that, I wish you all a good day, happy writing, and good luck with implementing this new information! 😸

References

Liu, C. (2024). A View From the Stars. Trans. by Dudak, A., Zhang, H., Lu, S.Q., Jin, E.X., Hanlon, E., Field, J., and Lanphier, A. TOR Publishing Group.