Chinese online literature surges in popularity overseas

Photo shows a view of the online literature industry expo, a part of the 2023 China International Online Literature Week (CIOLW) in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province. (Xinhua/Xu Yu)

The overseas market value of Chinese online literature exceeded 3 billion yuan (about $414.5 million) and Chinese online literary works attracted more than 150 million overseas readers by the end of 2022, according to a report released recently by the online literature center of the China Writers Association (CWA).

The report said the total revenue for the country's major platforms in the online literature industry exceeded 23 billion yuan in 2022.

In recent years, China has made more solid progress in exporting Chinese online literary works, said Ouyang Youquan, a professor at the School of Humanities at Central South University.

The influence of Chinese online literature has continued to grow, given the increasing number and genres of literary works introduced in overseas markets and the expanding industrial chain of the Chinese online literature sector, Ouyang added.

Over the past 20-plus years, a large number of Chinese authors have produced numerous online literary works, said He Hong, director of the CWA's online literature center.

Online literary works with intriguing plots and cliffhangers pander to popular taste, and there are now more than 200 sub-categories of China's online literature genres, He added.

These are important factors behind why Chinese online literary works attract readers both at home and abroad, He pointed out.

The beauty of the traditional culture behind Chinese online literary works holds great appeal for overseas readers. For instance, Library of Heaven's Path, regarded as a fine example of a Chinese online literature export, has been translated into various foreign languages, including English, French and Turkish.

"The most important reason for the work’s continuing popularity is that it reveals the traditional Chinese culture behind teaching," said the book’s author.

Ouyang believes that fine traditional Chinese culture can transcend time and space and cross borders. By taking root in the cultural soil of China and "telling Chinese stories well," Chinese online literature has become a bridge for international cultural exchanges.

The strong vitality of China's online literary works is inseparable from the operating model of Chinese online literature platforms.

Webnovel, the international portal of China Literature, a leading online literature platform in China, has supported the exports of Chinese online literary works by launching a translation program. In addition, many overseas readers of Chinese online literary works have become creators.

To support authors of online literary works, Webnovel, in collaboration with National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University, initiated a global author incubation project in 2022 and rolled out the Webnovel 2023 Author Professionalization Initiative this February.

Industry insiders say that the dissemination of Chinese online literature overseas has helped global readers gain a better understanding of and develop a stronger interest in Chinese culture, which will better help spread Chinese online literary works in the rest of the world.