When I think about sci-fi and people pulling together for an earth-scale thing I immediately think about The Wandering Earth by Liu Cixin. Culturally interesting that its a chinese movie whereas in my mind a lot of western sci-fi is more individualistic.
The stories that are told maybe more individualistic but that is the nature of the story. However the backdrop usually implies a lot of pulling together e.g. You dont get a space habitat built as one person, or even as one nation.
Also, was your introduction to wandering earth the movie? If so I suggest reading the trilogy.
Have not yet read that one but have read the Three Body Problem by Cixin and am a fan! More of his work is definitely on my reading list.
Indeed nature of the story is to focus on individuals. Still for example interstellar, you fully follow the dad/daughter and all that tubular space station building just happens completely off screen. And its assigned to the brilliance of the daughter instead of the coming together of people (how i interpret it!) curious how you view that for example :)
a movie/book/story needs a protagonist. All that building that goes on off-screen is the meat and potatoes of the solution, yes the daughter has a breakthrough realisation, but the realisation is for nothing if the infrastructure isnt there.
I think the 3body problem has a similar theme, the protagonist is central to the story, without him stuff does/doesnt happen, but the infrastructure (which in the main happens off camera) is built and deployed by the many not an individual, of course some solutions (trying not to spolier anything) are dependant on one individual.
I guess my point is that there isnt much difference between western and chinese sci-fi but chinese sci-fi also has to please the chinese government to be allowed to be published, so that also needs to be considered.
