Setting the Stage

The event, held in the British Library’s iconic conference centre, featured a diverse programme that highlighted the richness of traditional and digital storytelling. The venue was transformed with multimedia displays showcasing Yuewen’s vibrant digital literature platforms alongside treasured British literary artefacts, symbolising the union of heritage and modernity. Attendees were treated to visual presentations illustrating how Chinese online novels have captivated millions of readers globally, with an emphasis on their themes, innovative formats and cultural resonance​.

Keynote Address and Panel Discussions

The programme commenced with a keynote speech from senior representatives of the British Library, who underscored the importance of cultural diplomacy in an increasingly interconnected world. They highlighted the library’s dedication to preserving and adapting literature for the digital age, ensuring its accessibility to diverse audiences.

Panel discussions followed, featuring British and Chinese authors, academics, and digital publishing experts. Speakers included Yan ZK, a renowned Yuewen author, and Richard Pooley, director of the Conan Doyle estate and step-grandson of Arthur Conan Doyle. Topics ranged from the impact of technology on storytelling to the ways cultural narratives can transcend geographic and linguistic barriers. Particular focus was given to Yuewen’s pioneering approach to interactive storytelling, which enables readers to influence plot developments, and how this could inspire new ways to experience classic British literature.

Showcasing Chinese Digital Literature

One of the event’s highlights was the formal unveiling of ten Chinese online novels, which have been integrated into the British Library in printed format. These works represent a variety of genres, including historical fiction, fantasy, and science fiction, reflecting the diversity of China’s contemporary literary scene. This addition to the library’s collection not only celebrates these works as part of world literature, but also provides an opportunity for British audiences to engage with modern Chinese storytelling.

 “This collaboration with Yuewen is an exciting journey for us, one that underscores our mission to make our collection accessible and relevant to new audiences around the world,” said Jas Rai, Chief Operating Officer of the British Library. “We’re excited for what’s to come as this project unfolds and connects literature lovers across continents.”

Representatives from Yuewen explained the cultural significance of these novels, emphasising how they reflect the aspirations and challenges of contemporary Chinese society. Authors of some of the featured novels participated in a live Q&A session, sharing their creative processes and how digital platforms have allowed them to connect with millions of readers.

“These works show the world the creative energy coming from younger generations in China,” said Hou Xiaonan, CEO and President of Yuewen. “By having some of these works in the British Library collection, it will help UK readers and researchers better understand modern Chinese culture, while also introducing the web novel model to UK contributors, which provides access to a vast new readership and significant opportunities for IP expansion and global influence.”

Interactive Workshops and Cultural Exchanges

Interactive workshops invited attendees to explore the digital storytelling tools pioneered by Yuewen. Participants, including students and aspiring writers, learned to create their own narratives using these platforms. The workshops served as a testament to the partnership’s mission: fostering creativity and accessibility in literature.

The event also featured readings of British and Chinese works, performed in both languages. These bilingual sessions underscored the universality of storytelling while celebrating the unique qualities of each culture. Attendees expressed enthusiasm for the opportunity to experience literary works in such an engaging and innovative format.

Future Goals and Aspirations

The Literature in the Digital Age initiative aims to go beyond digitising literature by fostering deeper cultural appreciation. Future plans include adapting British literary classics for Yuewen’s digital platforms, and making them more accessible and appealing to younger Chinese readers. Similarly, the project will explore ways to bring Chinese digital literature to British schools and libraries, encouraging cross-cultural dialogue from a young age.

In their closing remarks, Yuewen’s representatives expressed their hope that this partnership would inspire more such collaborations globally. They highlighted the transformative potential of combining traditional storytelling with the interactive possibilities offered by modern technology.

Broader Implications

Literature in the Digital Age stands as a powerful example of how literature can act as a bridge between cultures. By embracing technology, the project showcases how tradition and innovation can coexist, offering new ways to connect with stories that define human experience. The event not only celebrated a partnership but also laid the groundwork for lasting cultural exchange, reaffirming the role of literature as a vital tool for global understanding​.

In sum, the initiative is emblematic of a broader trend towards integrating cultural heritage with digital innovation, ensuring literature’s relevance in a rapidly changing world. As the partnership unfolds, it will undoubtedly inspire further exploration into the dynamic intersection of culture, technology, and diplomacy.

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The British Library x Yuewen partnership reflects the dynamic and growing world of Chinese internet literature, which has redefined the relationship between authors and readers, attracted hundreds of millions of devotees, and produced countless adaptations across various media. This collaboration promises to provide a unique platform for cross-cultural exchange, combining the British Library’s rich literary heritage with Yuewen’s influential position in China’s booming online literature industry.

The Rapid Growth of Chinese Internet Literature

Chinese internet literature has become a mainstream cultural force, with Yuewen, a subsidiary of Tencent Group, leading the way. Yuewen operates numerous online literature platforms with over 537 million readers and an incredible 24 million authors, many of whom are young, part-time writers with non-literary backgrounds. These writers, often born in the late 1990s and early 2000s, contribute to a diverse and rapidly expanding literary ecosystem, with 36 million literary works published online and two million new works added in 2023 alone.

Popular genres such as xianxia (immortal heroes), xuanhuan (Chinese fantasy), historical fiction and romance dominate the scene, though reality-based, sci-fi, suspense, and urban themes are also gaining traction. This literary world, rich with uniquely Chinese cultural elements, has attracted international attention, with works translated into more than 20 languages reaching audiences in over 40 countries and regions.

The commercial impact of Chinese internet literature is substantial. In 2023, this industry generated RMB 40 billion (approximately £4.3 billion), with adaptations into comics, animations, films, TV series, games, audio and books. About 60% of the top 20 most popular Chinese TV series are adaptations from online novels, reflecting the demand for these stories across different media formats. Yuewen’s platforms alone have seen 72,600 works adapted into other forms, showing how internet literature has become a fertile ground for commercial and creative opportunities.

A New Era of Cross-Cultural Collaboration

This partnership with the British Library aims to build on the success of Yuewen’s storytelling model and expand its reach to a wider, more global audience. The three-year project is structured in phases, with the official launch event set for 21 November 2024, featuring an industry-focused panel discussion. This event, supported by the China-Britain Business Council, will highlight the growing importance of intellectual property (IP) commercialisation, the unique elements of digital literature, and how writers in China and the UK are engaging with readers in innovative ways.

Kai-Chuan Chao, the British Library’s Head of Cultural and Commercial Partnerships and its East Asia lead, has emphasised the importance of the partnership for increasing the British Library’s visibility in China. “It’s challenging to reach Chinese audiences solely through traditional channels,” Chao noted, “but by partnering with Yuewen, which has a massive readership and a robust online ecosystem, we hope to engage a wider audience in a fun, accessible way.” This initiative not only aims to introduce the British Library’s collections to Chinese audiences but also foster a lively exchange between British and Chinese literary traditions.

The British Library × Yuewen Writers’ Programme

Central to this collaboration is the British Library × Yuewen Writers’ Programme, which will bring three to five prominent Chinese web novelists to the British Library each year. During their visit, these writers will participate in curated tours and exclusive workshops designed to expose them to the British Library’s vast English literature collections. The programme includes interactive sessions where the writers can draw inspiration from historical manuscripts, such as Arthur Conan Doyle’s original Sherlock Holmes works, to inform their own storytelling.

Rather than instructing these accomplished authors, the workshops aim to encourage a creative exchange where they can draw on the inspiration of classic British literature and reinterpret it in new and culturally resonant ways. According to Chao, this approach is intended to “enable [Chinese writers] to create something inspired by what they see in the Library.” This process is a meeting of literary traditions, where contemporary Chinese authors can blend their unique styles and themes with elements from classic English literature.

Engaging Readers in the UK and China

In addition to fostering a dialogue among writers, the project is also designed to involve readers in creative and interactive ways. Yuewen will host a creative writing campaign, encouraging Chinese readers to merge characters and settings from British literary classics – like Frankenstein or Pride and Prejudice. Through this initiative, readers from both countries will engage in “co-curation,” mixing protagonists from different eras, backgrounds, and cultures to create fresh, imaginative stories. This interactive approach mirrors the British Library’s mission to engage with young people and introduce them to the world of literature in a way that feels both relevant and exciting.

The Future of Literary IP Commercialisation

At the November event, experts from the IP sector, including representatives from the Conan Doyle estate, will discuss the challenges and opportunities of IP commercialisation in the UK and China, underscoring the potential for Chinese IPs to reach global audiences, and highlighting the British Library’s role in facilitating this international literary exchange.

A New Chapter in British and Chinese Cultural Relations

The British Library × Yuewen collaboration exemplifies the potential of cross-cultural partnerships to reshape literary landscapes and expand the horizons of both creators and audiences. This three-year initiative offers Chinese writers and readers access to the British Library’s prestigious resources while introducing British literary culture to China’s vast online readership. The event on 21 November is just the beginning of an exciting journey where digital literature, cultural heritage, and global readership converge.

As Kai-Chuan Chao puts it, “We can do lectures, talks, and research projects, but we want to engage with young people in a fun way.” Through this collaboration, the British Library and Yuewen are indeed reaching new audiences in an age where literature is no longer confined to the printed page but lives on screens, in communities, and across borders. This partnership promises to shape the future of literature in the digital age, fostering a rich dialogue that celebrates diversity and innovation.

Click here to register for the event on 21 November

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Internet literature in China has attracted over 500 million readers and created a rapidly expanding and lucrative commercial market both within China and beyond its borders. Through IP commercialisation, some of the most successful titles are gaining huge popularity and growing fanbases in their adaptions in different segments of the entertainment industry – from film and TV to gaming and animation.

The viral success of The Joy of Life, Nirvana in Fire, Empresses in the Palace and Candle in the Tomb TV series, which first started as online literature, heralds what the future holds. Last year, there were 29 million internet literature writers in China, attracting an audience of 550 million users. 

To celebrate the commencement of the British Library x Yuewen three-year collaboration, Literature in the Digital Age, the China-Britain Business Council is pleased to support an exclusive event about internet literature in China featuring renowned web novelist Yuewen, along with special guests from the British Library and the UK IP sector, to explore and discuss these cultural phenomena.

Click here to register for the event

Ahead of the event, we are republishing a 2022 conversation between regular FOCUS contributor author Paul French and Megan Walsh, author of The Subplot: What China is Reading and Why it Matters (Columbia Global Reports), a book that pulls together all the strands of what China is reading right now – including which authors, genres and styles are popular, as well as how Chinese audiences are reading (online, e-books, hard copy).

I think the Chinese online literature market is fascinating because we don’t really have any equivalent in Britain. Can you give us a brief overview of China’s online reading platforms, the size and scope of what they’re publishing and how many people use them?

Chinese online fiction is, in short, the largest, self-generating industry of unregulated, free-market fiction in the world, and the quality is usually pretty poor. Still, it boasts impressive statistics. There are an estimated 450 million active readers and 17 million authors vying to catch and keep “eyeballs.” Most platforms, including Hongxiu, Jinjiang Literature City (Jjwxc), Qidian and China Literature operate a pay-per-chapter system, which has created a culture of serialisation. It has nurtured a rather dog-eat-dog approach to writing, with writers often plagiarising other people’s work and deploying sloppy clickbait tactics in order to keep updating and keep people reading. Novels are cancelled if they don’t attract enough visits, while the most popular romance and fantasy titles might be snapped up for highly coveted and extremely lucrative TV, anime or gaming adaptations. 

Online platforms, the largest of which is Tencent’s China Literature, do not think of themselves as publishers, but instead IP cultivation powerhouses, in which the main aim of novel-writing is, basically, mercenary. China Literature sees itself as the new Disney, a media and entertainment behemoth that generates and capitalises on its own IP, with its own TV and movie production companies, including New Classics Media. While its growth has somewhat plateaued in China, it now has its sights set on international expansion, setting up Webnovel and Inkstone, platforms to showcase translated online Chinese fiction as well as a platform for international writers themselves — a canny move given how popular fan fiction is becoming these days. Webnovel is already very popular in the West, and mired in controversy, with poor regulations to prevent plagiarism and giving writers little opportunity to have a meaningful, individualised presence online.

It seems to me that online reading is where genre really exists in China – both familiar genres such as crime, fantasy and romance, as well as what you call “male oriented titles”, “face slapping books” and “xianxia” or immortal hero novels. Can you tell us which genres are most popular, which are unique to China, and which of them replicate what we have in the West?

The biggest overlaps between China and the West are fan fiction and teen romance. In terms of genres that are unique to China, traditional wuxia (the mythical world of martial arts heroes popularised by Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon) and the newer fantastical realm of xianxia are the most notable. Like wuxia, xianxia novels take place in a mythic alternate reality, but it has shunned the camaraderie, moral compass and magical realism of wuxia stories and replaced it with dimension-bending worlds in which an often shameless, militantly individualistic protagonist spends thousands of chapters levelling up and smiting opponents to achieve his own immortality and omnipotence. As a result, xianxia is completely detached from reality. Often referred to as “cultivation novels,” xianxia narratives are plotted more like a computer game in which new weapons, superpowers and enemies differentiate one chapter from another. Amoral, self-obsessed hotheads are, of course, not to the taste of the CCP, who want self-sacrificing socialist heroes, and the crackdown on xianxia is already in full swing. Beyond this, there are in excess of 200 genres — things like tomb-raiding sagas, gaming or avatar-style romances and workplace politics — but created within the same climate as all the others, they tend to be deceptively, rather than thrillingly, diverse.  

Clearly, the Party is keen to see certain sorts of fiction dominate – “saints and martyrs” as you say – and are also rather distrustful and wary of online reading platforms. What’s emerging in this new, somewhat more controlled, cultural moment, and is anyone buying it?

I think the popularity and scale of online fantasies has taken the Party by surprise, and they are desperately trying to reclaim control of production and content. Several websites, in particular Jjwxc, which hosts the majority of danmei novels, have had to undergo “rectification” and commit to a higher socialist rating in terms of the content they host. The government has set up its own University of Online Fiction, devoted to realism and patriotic narratives, and commissioned “Red Stories” in which it has been claimed that superhero narratives can simply be mapped on to the stories of China’s red heroes from history. I genuinely don’t know how popular these propagandist novels will be – it is arguably one of the hardest things to gauge. The government don’t want to see its socialist heroes floundering in fact or fiction. But certainly, just as many action movies have done in the West, screen depictions of China being the world’s moral, technological and military trailblazer have been incredibly popular in recent years. Whether or not patriotism works on the page too, and I suspect it doesn’t, we are yet to see.

Are reading tastes national, or are the cities reading differently to the countryside and younger readers differently to older readers? How segmented is the market?

I genuinely don’t think I can answer with any authority, but I can say what I imagine to the be case. There is obviously still a huge divide between rural and urban residents in terms of access to quality education and opportunity. By extension, there are big differences in lifestyle for those living in third or fourth-tier cities compared to those in Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou. It wouldn’t surprise me to find out that those with less economic mobility and perceived cultural capital were more likely to be drawn to escapist fantasies, while self-help titles dominate reading habits in the bigger cities. Many fantasy readers refer to themselves with a degree of ironic pride as diaosi (variously translated as “penis hairs” or “losers”); they are only too aware of the stark difference between the superheroes and irresistible heroines they read about and their own lowly status. But this is, of course, all relative. Young people who fail to ace the gaokao and get a high-earning job in Shanghai are also likely to feel the strain, and seek consolation in fiction, in computer games, in movie theatres.

In many ways, the internet has democratised reading tastes in a way that wasn’t imaginable even ten years ago. The internet has meant that a steel worker can make money writing fiction by night, and it has nurtured the growing trove of wonderful migrant worker poetry published on various online platforms that, steeped in cultural and literary references, suggest that many of these apparently “uncultured” rural workers are in fact better read than the urban elites who invariably binge trashy fiction on their daily commute. As far as the older generations go, the literary types are incredibly well versed in both Chinese and translated world fiction, but have a penchant for social realism. Ge Fei wrote an interesting novella called The Invisibility Cloak (translated by Canaan Morse) about the few middle-aged eccentrics who go against the flow, whilst everyone else is moving in the same, homogenising direction of wanting more money and more stuff. If there were to be a national taste, the restless desire to change one’s fate at this time of economic ascension, either through hard work, graft or idle fantasy, has probably had the biggest impact on the kinds of books people are reading and writing. 

What or who are you reading right now? Can you suggest a few books to us, preferably translated, that are useful for getting a handle on contemporary Chinese literary tastes? 

For a mix of titles reflecting various aspects of Chinese literary (and not so literary) culture, you could try combining something like The Day the Sun Died by Yan Lianke (trans. Carlos Rojas), Iron Moon: An Anthology of Chinese Migrant Worker Poetry (trans. Eleanor Goodman), I Shall Seal the Heavens by Er Gen (trans. Death Blade), Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation by MXTX, In the Name of the People by Zhou Meisen (trans. Emily Hein), A Perfect Crime by A Yi (trans. Anna Holmwood) and Invisible Planets: 10 Visions of the Future from China (trans. Ken Liu). 

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Contemporary Chinese literature is a window into China’s soul. Whether you want to profile your customers, work out who should be your target audience or just understand your friends, neighbours and partners better, reading fiction can be far more illuminating than a dozen business tomes and university case studies.

Love and betrayal in China: Nothing But the Now, Wen Zhen (trans: Dave Haysom)

Seven short stories beginning with ‘Night Train’, the tale of a divorcing couple who decide to make their last journey together before parting forever. ‘Shepherd’ depicts a romance between a teacher and a student; ‘Lungfish’ pits a quiet wife against a garrulous husband; and ‘You’re Still Young’ tells a story of an unhappy woman who doesn’t want to have children. These and all the other stories in this collection are revealing of Chinese life today, personal relationships, societal pressures and ordinary people’s responses to emotional decisions.

Tradition and change in contemporary rural China: The Funeral Cryer, Wenyan Lu

Cambridge-based Lu writes about the strangest, and yet most traditional, of jobs – the professional mourner. Again though, as with so much Chinese fiction at the moment, a strained personal relationship is also at the heart of the story. The book has been praised for its tragic-comic style and for being an illuminating depiction of a ‘left behind’ society, the rural China so many of us never see.

Exploring the capital’s underbelly and underclass: Beijing Sprawl, Xu Zechen (trans: Jeremy Tiang and Eric Abrahamsen)

Xu is a multi-award-winning Chinese author and is sometimes seen as the air to the liumung (hooligan) authors of a previous generation, most notably Wang Shuo. Originally published as short stories, these tales of marginal life on Beijing’s endless fringes hang together well as a novel. Featuring a collection of wanna-be hutong hipsters, gig economy survivors, recent migrants, bored country kids come to town, low-life criminals, thugs and ex-jailbirds, this is not the tourist’s Beijing, and nobody much is living the “China Dream” out in the sprawl.

The lingering legacy of the Cultural Revolution: Ninth Building, Zou Jingzhi (trans: Jeremy Tiang)

These vignettes are drawn from the author Zou’s experiences in the Cultural Revolution, first as a schoolboy and then as a teenager exiled to the countryside. With no particular interest in politics, Zou’s life in the ten years of chaos is sheer tedium, wasted youth and a big dollop of gallows humour. Even if you’ve never read Zou before you’ve probably experienced his work as a regular screenwriter for directors such as Zhang Yimou and Wong Kar Wai.

Family sagas from political upheaval to economic globalisation: The Shaanxi Opera: A Novel, Jia Pingwa (trans: Nicky Harman and Dylan Levi King)

Jia Pingwa comes with accolades – the Mao Dun prize for one among many. A good big beach read – around 700 pages – for the China Watcher is The Shaanxi Opera, which tells the tale of the Bai family, once the most powerful family in the region, who have fallen from status. The decades after the Cultural Revolution and the early period of reform and opening up have not been kind to their fortunes, though their daughter, Snow Bai, is an opera star. Conversely, the Xias, enthusiastic members of the Party, are on the rise as their son Wind Xia moves up through the cadre ranks. So when a marriage between Snow and Wind is announced, who can lose? Perhaps only the local outcast named Spark who dotes on Snow. But society, culture and the world are changing…

China’s poetic history: A Century of Modern Chinese Poetry, edited by Michelle Yeh, Li Zhangbin and Frank Stewart

Holidays are the time to indulge yourself in a big book – and one you can randomly dip in and out of is sometimes a decided pleasure when kids, swimming pools, sightseeing and lunch buffets get in the way of your reading. This anthology might be the answer, including modern poetry from the Chinese-speaking world from the 1910s to the 2010s. Featuring the work of 85 poets from mainland China, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore, it contains more than 280 poems, both canonical and ‘newly discovered’, and reevaluated in the light of changing tastes. Start at the beginning and work your way assiduously through, or just let the pages open where they will.

Magic and fantasy in China’s far west: Bearing Word, Liu Liangcheng (trans: Jeremy Tiang)

Set in an apocalyptic, imagined ancient Xinjiang where an endless war has been raging for a century, this land is full of wandering ghosts (that only donkeys can see!). Hsieh is thrust into the care of Ku, who is tasked with bringing her across the immense desert between the two warring kingdoms on a journey that will take a year. Liu Liangcheng is from Xinjiang, so the descriptions of the deserts and towns, as well as the plethora of languages spoken, is rendered vividly. Something very different to take away in your suitcase.

A satirical look at China’s Cultural Upheavals: Golden Age, Wang Xiaobo (trans: Yan Yan)

We’ve had to wait a long time for a translation of cult-favourite writer Wang Xiaobo’s massive-selling novel, first published in the 1990s. Praised by Chinese cultural figures as diverse as Ai Weiwei and Jung Chang, at the time, it won legions of fans for being explosive and subversive – the very idea of mocking life and the party during the Cultural Revolution was considered a kind of sacrilege, but also a kind of release. Twenty-one-year-old Wang Er is stuck in a remote mountain commune herding oxen and dreaming of losing his virginity. His dreams come true in the form of beautiful doctor Cheng Qinyang. Their illicit love affair, the dirty-minded Party officials who enjoy their forced confessions a little too much, and Wang’s life under the Maoist yolk with friends, family and lovers is at times simply unputdownable (a much-overused phrase which just happens to be true in this case).

A Chinese writer out there in the world: Elsewhere, Yan Ge

Yan Ge was born in Chengdu but has since lived around the world and has been settled in Dublin for nearly a decade now. Elsewhere is her English language debut, though regular readers of Chinese fiction in translation may well know her previous books The Chilli Bean Paste Clan and Strange Beasts of China. Elsewhere is composed of nine tales, both contemporary and ancient, real and surreal, ranging from China to Dublin to London and Stockholm. What links them is that they are all about dispossession, longing and the diasporic experience.

What is the future of the village in China?: The Sacred Clan, Liang Hong (trans: Esther Tyldesley)

A fantasy that sheds light on the plight of many Chinese villages faced with an ever more urban China and fearing endemic poverty and being left behind for good without young people or services. Wu Township is hollowing out. Its most capable sons and daughters have long since uprooted from their birthplace on the central plains to fuel China’s economic miracle in its metropolises and factory towns. The ancient trees now sit in the shade of a modern aqueduct, funnelling even the village’s precious water to the metropolises beyond. A novel that shows that big political issues can be very personal.

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