Fragments of Thoughts on *The Three-Body Problem*
Why I Started
I have never been the type who loves reading novels. I have not read any of the Four Great Classical Novels cover to cover, let alone the many other great works of literature from China and the world. I simply could not get interested. On the other hand, as a kid I did read through the full One Hundred Thousand Whys series that my father bought.
Perhaps because of that, my Chinese-language grades were always only average, but that is another story. So for most "classics," I learned them through film and television instead: Journey to the West when I was young, Romance of the Three Kingdoms in middle school, and Jin Yong's works such as "Flying Snow Shoots the White Deer" and so on.
I also have a habit of not rushing to watch things while the hype is at its peak. I prefer to wait until the noise settles, so that reviews and popularity do not bias my own judgment.
For all those reasons, I only listened to the full story of The Three-Body Problem after the Qingxue audiobook version came out, even though the novels had been published for more than a decade by then.
Audiobooks
I have loved comedic sketches and cross-talk for many years, so it feels natural that I would enjoy storytelling performances and audiobooks. I have forgotten what coincidence first led me into audiobooks. The first one I listened to was probably Tian Lianyuan's Water Margin, and later Heroes of the Sui and Tang Dynasties. The heroic spirit in those stories always moved me.
For The Three-Body Problem, the first version I encountered was likely Qingxue's. I also listened to part of the 729 Sound Factory version later, but the best version in my view was the Yun Ting / Sound Factory production. It accompanied me through many seasons of running, from spring to winter.
Why was it so good?
The voice cast was outstanding: Teacher Wang Mingjun as the narrator, Teacher Liao Jing as "older Ye Wenjie," Jiang Guangtao as Luo Ji, and many well-known voice actors such as Baomu Zhongyang, Peng Yao, Shan Xin, and Bai Xuecen.
I believe only actors with real life experience can truly deliver a grand story that spans time. And that is exactly how it felt. Their grasp of characters was more immersive. The voices, cadence, and tone conveyed the right cognition and personality, with far less awkwardness and a stronger sense of reality.