BEIJING, March 22 (Reuters) - A Netflix ( NFLX ) adaptation of a

Chinese science-fiction classic "The Three-Body Problem" found a

large audience in China on the first day of its release despite

the streaming service not being available there, and prompted

immediate debate on social media.

The Netflix ( NFLX ) series "3 Body Problem" is an adaptation of the

first novel in a trilogy by Chinese author Liu Cixin, and made

for the screen by the creators of "Games of Thrones".

Liu's novel has sold millions of copies since it was

published in Chinese in 2008 and counts former U.S. President

Barack Obama among its fans. The English translation was the

first novel by an Asian writer to win science fiction's Hugo

Award for best novel.

The Netflix ( NFLX ) version, like the English translation of the

novel, starts with violent scenes from China's Cultural

Revolution in the 1960s, events that set in motion a plot that

includes an impending alien invasion.

The new series was trending on Chinese social media platform

Weibo on Friday with 21 million views so far and was first on

the platform's "top hot" trend rankings despite Netflix ( NFLX ) being

officially inaccessible in China.

Chinese viewers would have had to watch the Netflix ( NFLX ) series

from behind a VPN or on a pirate site.

"Jaw dropping" moments for Chinese viewers included an

opening scene where a prominent scientist is beaten to death by

paramilitary Red Guards, a depiction of recent history that

remains controversial in China.

"The first scene made my jaw drop. Even though I had

anticipated this, the scene still startled me," said one Weibo

user.

The video unit of Tencent Holdings ( TCTZF ) released a

30-episode, Chinese language adaptation of the series last year.

On Monday, seeking to capitalise on the publicity, Tencent Video

released a streamlined version, and many online commentators

said the made-in-China version was better.

The tagline "China version wins" was shown as trending on

Weibo on Friday as one of the most-discussed topics of the day.

Others objected to the way the Netflix ( NFLX ) adaptation shifts the

action from China to a group of British physicists nicknamed the

"Oxford Five". That showed "Westerners fundamentally can't

accept the idea of Chinese people inventing cutting-edge

technology", one viewer posted on the ratings and social network

site Douban.

Another Douban user said Netflix ( NFLX ) had short-changed the

Chinese elements of the story for "a Hollywood product that

values individual heroism".

Some viewers said critics were missing the point: a work of

Chinese fiction was becoming even more widely known around the

world. "Is it somehow a bad thing for the Netflix ( NFLX ) adaptation to

become a global sensation?" a third Douban user said.