Hangzhou city, the center of Zhejiang province, is one of the most important information technology centers in China with a population of over 12 million. Many technology companies, especially Alibaba, manage their operations from here. Chinese and foreign writers, journalists and industry representatives attended the forum as part of the International Internet Literature Week.
The International Internet Literature Week, which started on May 20, was held in Hangzhou, which has previously hosted high-profile events such as the G27 summit and the Asian Games. Organized with the theme of “Colorful and Gorgeous Asia”, the event focused on developing the international dissemination capabilities of Chinese internet literature.
During the literature week, events such as Internet Literature International Communication Forum, Globalizing Chinese Culture Symposium, Internet Literature Industry Expo, and Network Literature International Communication Work Coordination and Promotion Conference were held to help Chinese internet literature go better.
In addition to the executives of the Zhejiang Provincial Government and the Chinese Writers Association, which organized the event, well-known authors of the world of internet literature were present at the forum held on the first day.
At the opening ceremony, the Chinese Writers Association released the “Report on the Development of Chinese Internet Literature in Asia”. The report summarizes the evolution of the international diffusion of internet literature and highlights the current status, characteristics of development and diffusion paths of internet literature in various parts of Asia.
More than 16 works translated
The report shows that China's internet literature exports more than 16 pieces of online literature to other countries, with more than 40 million overseas users, 150 percent of whom cover North America and Asia.
The report also shows that the majority of readers in Asia are under the age of 35, and those born “post-1995” constitute the main strength of the readership. About 60 percent of readers have a bachelor's degree, and about 60 percent are female readers. Readers from Southeast Asian and South Asian countries such as Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia and India account for more than 80 percent of the total.
Young people take pictures at the fairground
Generation Z readers, as the generation of “internet kids”, have an innate digital life experience, have a sharper perception of high technology, and are easier to interact with writers of the same age group. With the internet literature becoming a dominant medium, reading internet novels is no longer just a form of entertainment, it has gradually become the primary means of acquiring knowledge for Generation Z.
It can be said that internet literature in China has become an important carrier and window for overseas readers to understand Chinese culture and contemporary China, and plays a unique role in displaying the charm of Chinese culture and promoting cultural exchange between China and foreign countries.
The number of users on internet literature platforms in China has exceeded 500 million. More than 2022 million internet works were produced in the country in 3.
49. The Statistics Report on China Internet Development State shows that as of the end of December 2021, the total number of internet users in China has exceeded 1 billion and the internet penetration rate has reached 73 percent. The scale of Internet applications ranks first in the world. As of the end of December 2021, the total number of internet literature readers in China reached 41,45 million, an increase of 502 million compared to the same period of the previous year, making up 48,6 percent of the total netizens.
Internet literature fuses with traditional culture and history
Internet literature draws inspiration from traditional culture and classical works. After more than 20 years of vigorous development, Chinese internet literature has grown into a large-scale, systematic and world-influencing cultural phenomenon. Today's Internet literature has changed the pattern of development of all contemporary Chinese literature. Internet literature has achieved remarkable success in terms of social impact, economic benefits, and cultural output.
The deep integration of Internet literature and China's rich traditional culture enables creative transformation and innovative development. In this way, young people find a new contact with traditional culture and their long history. Martial arts, in particular, remain an important category in internet literature, with excellent works emerging from martial arts novels such as fantasy and fairy tales.
Classic novels such as “Mountains and Rivers Classic” (Shan Hai Jing), “Journey to the West”, “Wukong Biography” have always been important resources for online writers. One of the sample works is the internet novel “Dunhuang: The Millennium Flying Dance” by Wang Yi. Coming from a wealthy family, “Flying Goddess” Xia Yi wants to spread the Feitian dance widely in Gansu because of her love for Dunhuang dance. Cultural relic restorer Wang Anzhi wants to restore thousands of beautiful murals with his hands, but can't resist the erosion of wind and sand. Between the ideal and the real, these two young people fall in love, but an accident makes it difficult for them to come together. Dunhuang is an important town on the ancient Silk Road and a confluence of the world's four great civilizations. The author uses Dunhuang as a background to express the cultural heritage value of this place.
Golden age of science fiction
In terms of content, science fiction novels have also become an important part of internet literature. In the last five years, the number of authors creating science fiction novels on “Chinese Literature” websites alone has increased by 189 percent to 515, of which more than 1990 percent are authors born in the 70s.
The rise of science fiction in the world of internet literature has been clearly influenced by the popular science fiction novel "The Three-Body Problem" and the phenomenon "Wandering World". On the other hand, although science fiction is an obvious fantasy subject that seems to contradict realism, it actually has a very deep connection with scientific rationality and can be said to be fed from the same root.