A good read on global trends

US online novelist Lenaleia says that Chinese online novels that target women are becoming increasingly popular in the United States and "readers enjoy love stories and get to know the bigger backdrop of life in China".

While Indian online novelist Raj_Shah_7152 finds "many major events that impact humanity" in Chinese online literature and has gained a broader and deeper perspective on writing through reading it, Guiltythree from Russia says that "I found in China, men good at science are considered sexy but that is not the case in the West".

Reading Chinese online literary works, many of which have very rich worldviews and vivid characters, helps people like Nigerian online writer Magecrafter improve their ability to write longer stories.

Duan Huaiqing, professor of Chinese language and literature at Fudan University, says that he reads online novels about cultivating immortality because he believes this type of novel consistently embodies a pursuit of culture and the essence of life, exploring different boundaries and trying to go beyond external and internal limits.

For the modern science education and technological cultures, online novels provide a valuable reading supplement and can incorporate many related themes, such as personal growth and education, he says.

He once supervised a student from Thailand who, after graduation, took up a fulltime job translating Chinese online novels into Thai to support the student's family.

"This indicates that the development of online literature over the past two decades has created a thriving landscape not only in China but also globally."

In addition to digital text, Chinese online novels have entered overseas markets in other forms. Yukiko Sugiyama, executive vice-president of Kakao Piccoma Corp in Japan, says that in the past 100 years, the Japanese market has been self-sufficient, making it hard for overseas works to break through. However, since 2020, Webtoons, digital comics designed to be read by scrolling vertically on digital devices, have become popular in Japan, with many hits coming from China.

Popular online literary works and their adaptations have also boosted the consumption of "Guzi", or IP goods, related to ACGN — animation, comics, games and novels — including badges, figurines, keychains and other stationery accessories.