"Discomfort with Red Guard Scenes"... Chinese Netizens Leave Negative Comments on Secretly Watched Netflix's Samche

Dissatisfaction Arises Over Detailed Depiction of Cultural Revolution
"How Did You Watch It If There Was No Service?" Suspicions Also Raised

The Netflix drama adaptation of the famous science fiction (SF) novel "Samche" by author Liu Cixin has become a subject of controversy among Chinese netizens. There are claims that the "Cultural Revolution," which is depicted in detail in the drama, is portrayed too negatively.

The Netflix series "Samche" (English title: 3 Body Problem) depicts five young scientists confronting the greatest threat in human history. The drama portrays China in the 1960s at the beginning, coincidentally the period during which the Cultural Revolution took place under Mao Zedong, the first Chairman of China.

Cultural Revolution scene from the trailer still of Netflix's 8-episode series 'Samche'.
[Image source=Netflix]

The drama details the persecution of intellectuals during the Cultural Revolution. It shows Ye Zhuotai, a physics professor at the prestigious Tsinghua University in Beijing, being brutally beaten by his students and criticized by colleagues and his wife. The fervent Communist Party members known as the "Red Guards," who led the persecution, are also depicted without any censorship.

Some Chinese netizens expressed discomfort with the content of "Samche." On Chinese social networking services (SNS) such as Weibo, comments included "These scenes were created to disparage China," and "It is exaggerated compared to reality, and the prejudice of the American production company ruined the original content." However, some countered by saying, "The Cultural Revolution content is also in the book."

Liu Cixin's past interview also drew attention. In a 2019 interview with the New York Times (NYT), he said, "I originally wanted to publish a book about Mao Zedong's Cultural Revolution, but a Chinese publisher told me it would not pass government censorship, so it was shelved." This statement was also included in the English edition of "Samche."

As the controversy related to "Samche" in China became known, some netizens questioned, "How did people in China watch 'Samche' when Netflix is not officially available there?"

It is reported that some Chinese netizens use VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) to bypass IP restrictions and illegally watch overseas content. The Netflix hit produced domestically, "Squid Game," also sparked controversy when it was watched through such bypass methods.