That's okay, different people can like different things :)

As for myself, I liked reading about some bits of Chinese history that I was not very familiar with, and it also provides a really good foundation for the reason behind the lead character's far-reaching actions. I also do think the best parts of the story do come later in books 2 and 3 - I like the larger-than-life ideas and the imperfect characters.

It felt similar to Foundation series, and I liked the focus on the overall ideas being presented and not any individual characters. I think I’ve heard this called philosophical science fiction but am not sure that’s the most accurate subgenre. Anyway, as OP says adjacent to this answer, I agree that books two and three are far better than book one. Like 30 plot twists per book; real page turners.