Click, click.
As you open a Chinese web novel platform, a whole new world is set before your eyes. There is a dazzling array of numerous book options adorned with colorful covers and witty titles. The choices seem to be endless, with novels of different genres and tropes aimed at different audiences. Whatever your preference may be, there is always a Chinese web novel suited for you.
After all, Chinese web novels can be suitable for audiences of many age groups and demographics, with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences reporting that among every three Chinese citizens, there is at least one web novel reader. As of 2023, there are over 537 million Chinese online literature users, a clear indicator of the popularity of Chinese web novels.
Today the online literature industry in China seems quite developed, with a continuously growing reader base and an organized industrial chain. However this was not always the case; in many ways, online literature in China is relatively new and a byproduct that followed the growth of the internet in the 1990s.
In the spring of 1994, China connected to the global internet in an effort to open itself up to the outside world after a period of isolationism. The opening of the first-ever online web server in China allowed for more internet access within the country. By mid-1995, there were around 40,000 internet users, a big jump from the 3000 users earlier in the year.
This newfound access to the internet in China created a demand for content and work online. The connectivity of the internet allowed people from different ends of the country to share ideas and views with each other. In discussions on early online forums, internet users, also known as netizens, would request writing based on specific themes or character tropes they liked. If a writer or other internet user took a liking to the idea they would write the story in the comment section of the forum post or open up a new novel.
This early stage of online writing was mostly casual and for entertainment purposes. Most of the writers were everyday internet users sharing their ideas and stories as a hobby, and there wasn’t really a uniform style among Chinese web novels. Many writers took influence from existing works of literature and media. As Yang Chen, Editor-in-chief of China Literature Limited, one of China’s literature giants said, “online literature didn’t have a style of its own, and a large part of writing came from borrowing. This borrowing came in part from Japanese anime, western fantasy, and traditional Chinese Wuxia. A merge of their different styles as well as some localized adaptations created the earliest wave of Chinese web novels.”
The quality of this early wave of writing was extremely varied, ranging from professional heartfelt stories to elementary and awkward writing. There wasn’t really a standard for the quality of writing; writers were writing out of love, and the market had yet to be commercialized. However, this would change with the ushering in of the age of paid Chinese web novels.
In 2003, Qidian, a Chinese literature platform under China Literature Limited, started the pay-to-read system for web novels. Readers could support authors and novels they liked by giving small amounts of money and gifts to unlock new chapters of a book. This system would be adopted by many other online literature websites such as Jin Jiang Literature City, Hong Xiu Tian Xiang, and iReader. Pay-to-read is still the system for most Chinese web novels today.
The development of the pay-to-read feature of websites helped advance the popularity of online literature in China as it provided authors with a new way of making a living. Many prospective writers were incentivized to join platforms and write as a side hustle outside their full-time jobs. Today, there are over 20 million web novel writers within China.
The influx of new authors in online platforms ushered in a new age of online literature in China. Competition between writers in the field led to the formation of new and unique tropes as well as a better quality of writing. These years in the 2000s are considered by many to be the golden era of Chinese web literature.
This golden age not only helped attract readers to web novels but as investments as well. As online literature platforms flourished, they captured the attention of many corporations and investors who wanted a piece of the web novel pie. In the 2000s, many corporations bought online reading platforms and formed companies with them, with one of the most notable being the Shanda Group which bought Qidian in 2004 and would form the Cloudary Corporation in 2008. This company would later buy some of the most well-known online literature platforms like Jin Jiang Literature City, Hong Xiu Tian Xiang, and Rong Shu Xia, and would combine with technology company Tencent in 2015 to form China Literature Limited.
With the additional funds from corporations and investors, online literature became increasingly popular, transitioning to the IP (intellectual property) age. Web novels took a foothold in other industries as they were officially published and adapted into other forms of entertainment like T.V. shows, animations, games, and music.
The new media created using existing web novels helped bring a new audience to web novels both abroad and in China. The combination of web novels and media adaptations complemented each other, bringing more attention to both mediums. Statistics from Yun He data found that, in November 2023, 9 out of the 10 most broadcasted Chinese dramas that year were adapted from web novels. Investors gravitated towards web novel adaptations of shows as it was a safer alternative with the existing fanbase of the web novels. Meanwhile, fans of shows and animations would read web novels to find out more about their favorite stories and characters.
This is the case for many international fans since many Chinese shows and dramas are readily available to viewers through platforms like Viki, YouTube, Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu. These Chinese shows have grown in popularity overseas in recent years with the Korean platform Wavve reporting that Chinese dramas accounted for 50% of overseas drama viewership.
The exposure of other forms of Chinese media has considerably boosted the accessibility and attraction of Chinese web novels to international audiences overseas. The current overseas market of web novels is estimated to be worth over 4.35 billion yuan (around $605 million), reaching over 200 different countries and regions with the largest overseas market being the United States.
However, the extreme popularity of Chinese web novels can not be solely credited to the growing viewership of other forms of Chinese media. A large part of the popularity of Chinese web novels overseas is due to the unique charm of Chinese web novels.
What exactly does this mean?
Well, Chinese web novels are really different from traditional Western printed literature. The way that many readers follow the novels is by reading the novel as the author is writing it. This creates a more personal connection compared to traditional literature, as readers are able to watch a novel grow and turn into its final form. In comment sections of the novel, readers may suggest scenes or discuss what they think will happen in the next chapter. This unique format gives a feeling of fulfillment and engagement to readers of Chinese web novels that is uncommon in other forms of reading.
As a Chinese web novel reader from Singapore who goes by the online username Midori said, “Chinese web novels are often posted on Chinese novel websites without having gone through an editor or some such, so often, it feels more casual and closer to society/the normal person.”
Additionally, many Chinese web novels are really long: authors spend years updating a singular piece of work. Many readers have joked that they have already graduated from school, yet their favorite novel hasn’t been completed yet. The time that readers often spend following a web novel builds a unique connection and nostalgia as checking for updates becomes a part of daily routine.
Yet the unique way that Chinese web novels are updated isn’t the only appeal that they hold for viewers. Many viewers are captivated by the unique content of Chinese web novels. Chinese web novels often interweave aspects of Chinese culture into their writing. Stories set in historical Chinese settings are extremely common, and genres like Xian Xia and Xuan Huan that take influence from traditional Chinese Wu Xia and mythology are one of the most popular genres of web novels.
From reading Chinese web novels, readers are often able to learn a bit more about aspects of Chinese culture such as the styles of different dynasties or the intrigues of ancient Chinese courts. This makes many Chinese web novels an engaging read for different readers whether they want to connect to their cultural roots or learn more about a different culture.
The appeal of Chinese web novels and their widespread popularity can also be credited to how easily accessible Chinese web novels are to all kinds of readers. Many Chinese web novels are something known as Shuang wen or feel-good writing.
As Darren Lin ’25, a long-time reader of web novels, puts it, “I feel like Chinese novels are an escape from reality. They are fun to read. A lot of them are is wish-fulfillment fiction that’s fantastical and really imaginative. It’s really engaging. You don’t really need to analyze things and use your brain. It’s kind of similar to TikTok. If you don’t like the book, you just switch. There are a million different kinds of novels.”
Readers often follow an underdog or misunderstood protagonist as they rise up the ranks. There is a sense of satisfaction felt as readers see the protagonist succeed in life or get justice. It’s a comforting sight to see as many readers are given a temporary escape from the hardened stress of reality. If readers don’t feel a connection with the book, they can easily switch to a new novel.
For many Chinese web novel readers, the time that they spend on these novels has also allowed them to form a community among fellow readers. For example, Midori, who has always liked reading as a hobby, started out as an anime and manga fan and slowly progressed to a web novel reader. She had previously both volunteered and worked as a proofreader for Chinese web novels.
As Midori said, “Since I was already a Chinese web novel reader, I felt like I wanted to contribute to the community, so I decided to contribute effort in the way I could, which was by proofreading. As a Singaporean, I’ve taken English at O levels, and General Paper at A levels, and I was pretty confident in my English language skills.”
Like Midori, there are hundreds of thousands of Chinese web novel readers outside of China who contribute to the community through efforts like translating, proofreading, and quality checking. Through web novels, many have meaningful discussions and find friends with similar interests.
“ I do sometimes discuss novels with people online or friends, and it’s a fun social experience to talk about novels,” said Midori.
Many of these communities have grown in size as Chinese web novels have become more mainstream. In 2022, the British Library added its first Chinese web novels to its Chinese collection and added 10 more web novels in 2024. Meanwhile the University of Pennsylvania’s Penn Libraries have added printed editions of Chinese online novels into their Chinese Studies collection.
With the spread of other types of Chinese culture on online platforms, more people are experiencing the charm of Chinese web novels, making great additions to this fascinating online world.
As Darren Lin ’25, a long-time reader of web novels, puts it, “I feel like Chinese novels are an escape from reality. They are fun to read. A lot of them are is wish-fulfillment fiction that’s fantastical and really imaginative. It’s really engaging. You don’t really need to analyze things and use your brain. It’s kind of similar to TikTok. If you don’t like the book, you just switch. There are a million different kinds of novels.”