SHANGHAI, April 13 (Xinhua) -- A 3D drama based on a novel by famous Chinese science-fiction writer Liu Cixin premiered in Shanghai on Friday, a latest show after the film "The Wandering Earth" adapted from his novella with the same name became an instant hit early this year.

The drama, "The Three-Body Problem II: Dark Forest," was staged at Shanghai Culture Square. The show will be on in Shanghai until April 21. Then it will be staged in other Chinese cities such as Beijing, Hangzhou, Chongqing and Shenzhen.

Produced by Shanghai-based Lotus Lee Future Theater, the drama uses 3D special effects and its production team includes members from France, the United States and Poland. The director is Philippe Decoufle from France.

"The grand 3D effect fits the play very much. Its immersive theater effect is wonderful and visually innovative," said an audience surnamed Wei, who works in the drama production industry.

Lotus Lee, producer of the drama, said compared with the first drama "The Three-Body Problem" staged in 2016, the second drama cost much more, but it was never short of money.

In February, the movie "The Wandering Earth" debuted in China and managed to gross more than 4.6 billion yuan (684 million U.S. dollars) in the country's box office.

Liu's most famous work "The Three-Body Problem" won the Hugo Award for best novel in 2015, making him the first Asian to receive the prize.

"Science fiction is difficult to adapt. Scriptwriters are what we need most," said Liu.