Introduction to the Story: Set against the backdrop of China’s Cultural Revolution, the story begins with Ye Wenjie, an astrophysicist, witnessing the brutal treatment of her father by the Red Guards. Disillusioned with humanity, she secretly sends a signal into space, hoping to make contact with alien life. This signal reaches the Trisolaran civilization, an alien species on the verge of destruction due to their unstable three-sun system.
The Trisolaran Conflict: The Trisolaran world is plagued by constant chaos because of its unpredictable suns. The aliens plan to invade Earth, hoping to escape their own dying planet. Ye Wenjie, now working at a secret government facility, becomes involved in the alien contact and plays a pivotal role in enabling the Trisolarans to know of Earth’s existence.
The Earth Defense Response: Meanwhile, on Earth, a secret group known as the Earth-Trisolaris Organization begins working to prepare for the alien invasion. Some humans align themselves with the Trisolarans, believing they will bring progress, while others form resistance movements to defend Earth. The global scientific community is thrown into disarray as Earth faces the potential existential threat of the Trisolarans.
The Three-Body Problem: The novel’s title refers to a centuries-old unsolved problem in physics, the “three-body problem,” which is the challenge of predicting the movements of three celestial bodies interacting under gravity. The Trisolarans face this issue with their unstable suns, which has led to their current crisis. The novel explores themes of science, technology, and the consequences of first contact between civilizations.
