S2 E6: "Love, Death & Robots" and Chinese Sci-fi's Golden Age

In the past few years, science fiction as a genre has entered the Chinese mainstream in an unprecedented way, thanks to sci-fi writers from China and from the Chinese diaspora. If “The Three Body Problem” introduced the world to Chinese sci-fi, then the 2019 blockbuster “The Wandering Earth” (acquired by Netflix) certainly kept the momentum going. This is the context under which we are having this discussion about Netflix’s high-profile sci-fi animation anthology “Love, Death & Robots." The series was received extremely positively by the Chinese audience (according to Douban ratings.) But Loud Murmurs being Loud Murmurs, we will not only talk about the stories themselves but also how gender and sex play a role in them. We are honored to be joined by acclaimed Chinese sci-fi author Chen Qiufan, whose works have won three Galaxy Awards for Chinese Science Fiction. To Chinese sci-fi fans, Qiufan needs no introduction. Highlights: In the episode “Beyond the Aquila Rift”, there’s a long CGI sex scene in space. Does the scene serve the plot or does it merely serve a trite male fantasy? Would this story still make sense if the genders of the two main characters are reversed? Is there a subtle religious theme to this story? We really like the 8th episode, “Good Hunting,” which combines elements of “silk punk” and “Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio” (Liaozhaozhiyi by Qing Dynasty author Pu Songling). This is written by Chinese American science fiction author Ken Liu, a friend of our guest Chen Qiufan and translator of the “Three Body Problem.” There’s a difference between cultural appropriation and appreciation. We think this story is doing it the right way. Why are so many episodes in “Love, Death and Robots” accused of sexualizing the female body and glorifying violence towards women? Is this a bigger problem with the sci-fi genre in general? As a science fiction writer, Chen Qiufan’s works often concern the theme of “justice.” How does Chen explore this theme in the Chinese context and challenge the social status quo? How can male sci-fi writers better include the perspective of women, create fully developed female characters with agency, and challenge the -isms of our real world when building new, imaginative worlds? The English version of Chen Qiufan’s book “The Waste Tide” has just come out. Please check it out here! Thanks for listening! Find us in the iTunes podcast store, Google Play, Spotify, 喜马拉雅 for our fans in China, and wherever you listen to podcasts (e.g. Pocket Casts, Overcast)! Please subscribe, enjoy, and feel free to drop us a note and leave us a review. BECOME A PATRON TO SUPPORT US:https://www.patreon.com/loudmurmurs Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/loudmurmurs)