Ti Gong
The Chinese web novels.
Ten popular Chinese web novels, originally published on Shanghai-based online literature platform Yuewen, have been added to collection of the British Library to showcase the impact of Chinese culture and intellectual property.
This milestone is part of a three-year collaboration between the British Library and Yuewen, titled “Literature in the Digital Age,” which kicked off earlier this week.
The partnership aims to enhance cultural exchange between the UK and China, as well as foster the co-creation of innovative cultural IP. As part of the initiative, Yuewen writers will have the opportunity to explore the British Library’s collections, participate in creative workshops, and engage in collaborative digital campaigns with readers.
Ti Gong
Iconic items of the Lord of Mysteries.
The 10 novels, spanning genres from history and modern life to science fiction and fantasy, include renowned titles such as “Soul Land,” “Once Upon in Nanjing,” “Joy of Life” and “Lord of Mysteries.”
The latter, a top-ranked fantasy novel with more than 47 million views on Yuewen, will now share shelf space with literary classics like “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,” “Pride and Prejudice,” “Frankenstein” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”
“This partnership makes our collection accessible and relevant to new audiences worldwide, connecting literature lovers across continents,” said Jas Rai, chief operating officer of the British Library.
All 10 novels were initially published on Yuewen, China’s biggest online literature platform.
In 2017, Yuewen launched its international platform, WebNovel, which now hosts 650,000 original works by 430,000 contributors from around the globe.
Hou Xiaonan, CEO and president of Yuewen, revealed that WebNovel has attracted 16,000 contributors and over 6.83 million visitors in the UK alone, with annual readership growing by nearly 30 percent.
As Internet literature continues to gain mainstream popularity, particularly among Generation Z, it has emerged as a lucrative commercial market.
Yuewen has successfully adapted many of its popular titles into films, dramas, games, and animations.
A recent example is My Vampire System by UK-based author JKSManga, which has been translated into six languages and adapted into audiobooks and comic formats.
,https://www.shine.cn/news/metro/2411240108/