Recently, the Netflix adaptation of "The Three-Body Problem" has sparked a lot of controversy and criticism, once again igniting a wave of excitement. The Jilin-1 satellite, Long March, specifically aimed its camera at Liu Cixin's hometown—Yangquan City in Shanxi Province.
Yangquan, formerly known as "Yangquan," also known as the mountain city, is located in the central-eastern part of Shanxi Province.
Yangquan is not a futuristic sci-fi tech city, but a hardcore heavy industrial city, with the main urban area divided into urban, mining, and suburban areas, typical remnants of the industrial era.
Since the 1980s, Yangquan has rapidly developed its economy by leveraging its coal resources advantage, leading the way among various cities in Shanxi Province and earning the nickname "Little Shanghai."
As the smallest in area and population among the prefecture-level cities in Shanxi, it once illuminated the entire North China region and became a major artery supporting the national industrial development.
Back then, Liu Cixin wrote "The Three-Body Problem" in his spare time while working at the Nanniwan Power Plant, located about 25 kilometers from the main urban area of Yangquan. The plant was commissioned in 1971 and shut down in 2008.
Yangquan also has a glorious revolutionary history. Lion's Brain Mountain, overlooking the entire city, was the main battlefield of the Hundred Regiments Offensive during the revolution. There are currently a Revolutionary Martyrs Memorial Hall, a Centennial Battle Memorial, and a museum in the area commemorating these events.
Liu Cixin's alma mater - Yangquan No. 1 Middle School
