Ken Liu on Chinese science fiction

Sinica Podcast

Kaiser Kuo

Culture, China News, Hangzhou, Chinese, International Relations, Chongqing, Beijing, Sichuan, Currentaffairs, China, Politics, Chengdu, Shanghai, Guangzhou, China Economy, News, China Politics, Business, Film, Shenzhen

4.8 • 676 Ratings

🗓️ 12 January 2017

⏱️ 50 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Ken Liu is a science-fiction writer, translator, computer programmer, and lawyer. He has written two novels and more than 100 short stories. His short story “The Paper Menagerie” is the first work of fiction, of any length, to win all three of the Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy Awards. Among his translations are two of the three parts of the Chinese science-fiction hit The Three-Body Problem, by Liu Cixin. In this episode of the Sinica Podcast, Ken talks to Kaiser and Jeremy about his own work, the significance of The Three-Body Problem in the Chinese literary world, and the current state of Chinese science fiction. Recommendations: Jeremy: Understanding China Through Comics series, by Liu Jing: Foundations of Chinese Civilization: The Yellow Emperor to the Han Dynasty, Division to Unification in Imperial China: The Three Kingdoms to the Tang Dynasty, and Barbarians and the Birth of Chinese Identity: The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms to the Yuan Dynasty. Ken: Consider the Fork: A History of How We Cook and Eat, by Bee Wilson. Kaiser: Deadwood TV series. References: The Three-Body trilogy, by Liu Cixin: The Three-Body Problem, translated by Ken Liu, The Dark Forest, translated by Joel Martinsen, and Death’s End, translated by Ken Liu. Invisible Planets: An anthology of contemporary Chinese science fiction, translated by Ken Liu. Fiction by Ken Liu: The Grace of Kings, The Wall of Storms (read an excerpt on SupChina here), and The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to the Cynica podcast, a weekly discussion of current affairs in China, produced in partnership with SubChina.
0:15.0	SubChina offers the best way to stay on top of the most important news from China in just a few minutes a day through a free email
0:21.2	newsletter, a smartphone app, and at the website, subchina.com. SubChina offers a feast of business,
0:28.3	political, and cultural news about a nation that is reshaping the world. I'm Kaiser Guo, and I'm coming
0:34.3	to you today from the Seneca South Studio in downtown Durham, North Carolina.
0:38.6	If I sound like I'm in far too good of a mood for these dark times, I think it may have
0:42.3	something to do with the fact that this past weekend. My family got a six-week-old golden-doodle
0:47.1	puppy who we've named Gautier or pot sticker, and it's pretty much impossible to be
0:51.8	sad with that little guy in our lives, as we say around here,
0:54.7	Pop Trump's hate.
0:56.7	So joining me from a converted moonshine still out in Gold Corn Holler in the backwoods of Tennessee
1:01.5	is the Outlaw Country Balladier known as Diniumi.
1:04.7	Greet the listeners to our Jeremy and tell me how you've been.
1:08.1	Hey, Kaiser.
1:09.7	I'm doing very well. I mean, I'd just like to note that the fact that you've got Hey, Kaiser. I'm doing very well.
1:10.9	I mean, I'd just like to note that the fact that you've got this golden doodle dog does
1:17.1	indicate a certain problem with the liberal element of American society.
1:23.2	I mean, this is why we have Trump.
1:24.7	It's because you're golden doodle.
1:26.0	Because we retreat into the solace of puppies.
1:31.2	Strangely, strangely uncool dog breeds, anyway.
1:36.4	It's an incredibly cool dog breed.
	...

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