Storied British Library Increases Its Collection Of Online Chinese Literature

To stay at the forefront of global literary trends and incorporate more works from diverse languages, cultures, and eras, the storied British Museum has just announced a new partnership with China's Yuewen Group, owner of a vast range of online literature.

Online literature has become the primary way Gen Z readers consume literature in China, with many of the country's most popular new novels appearing online first. This is where literature in the digital age sees some of the most rapid evolution. In China and other East Asian countries, the most exciting literary developments with younger generations are happening in this space.

Introducing Chinese Literature

Now, several popular works from China have become available to British readers through the British Library's extensive catalogue. The esteemed institution and Yuewen have launched a landmark three-year collaboration, Literature in the Digital Age, to enhance cultural exchange between the UK and China and promote the co-creation of new cultural IP.

One of the first actions from this new partnership is the British Library adding ten new online novels by Chinese authors to its collection, expanding access to modern Chinese digital literature for UK readers.

One of the most anticipated works to be included is the hit novel Lord of Mysteries, a top-ranked fantasy, adventure and steampunk thriller. Other highly popular new online novels from genres including science fiction, history, action, adventure, and fantasy are also now entering the British Library's collection with titles including Soul Land, Jun Jiuling, Mu Nan Zhi, Doomsday Wonderland, Joy of Life, The King's Avatar, Lord of Mysteries2: Circle of Inevitability, Once upon in Nanjing, and Dazzling Star.

Online Literature

These novels were each published online in the last ten years, and many are already considered modern classics of Chinese online literature. Lord of Mysteries alone has amassed over 47 million views on WebNovel, an international online literature platform owned by Yuewen.

Lord of Mysteries has a highly valuable IP that sees new creative extensions through the partnership, including an exhibit featuring artwork, published books, and exclusive merchandise inspired by the novel. This will include a unique collaboration between Lord of Mysteries characters and iconic works from the British Library's collection, including Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Pride and Prejudice, Frankenstein and A Midsummer Night's Dream. The results are an immersive exploration of the rich, shared world of classic and contemporary storytelling.

Worthwhile Partnership

Speaking at the partnership launch event, one of the young authors from China, Yan ZK, noted how online literature is, in many ways, no different from other mediums of storytelling. " Classic literature, books, TV shows, films or animation, they are actually all accomplishing the same thing; they are the carriers of stories." Yan ZK noted that young authors these days have unprecedented access to literature from all eras through online platforms and libraries.

This new unlikely partnership also highlights online literature's growing influence and impact worldwide and in Britain. Yuewen's WebNovel platform is one of the more popular sites for global online literature and is a portal into this exciting new space.

At the launch event, Yuewen Group CEO Xiaonan Hou delivered some impressive figures for WebNovel that illustrate its growing global popularity. He explained that WebNovel has already received over 260 million accumulated international visitors, with readership growing 30% annually in the UK and over 80% in countries like Greece. WebNovel hosts 430,000 contributors from around the world and 650,000 original works. In the UK alone, WebNovel has attracted 16,000 contributors and over 6.83 million readers.

As internet literature gains such mainstream popularity, it fosters a thriving commercial market. IP from online novels appears in a range of mediums, from films to TV shows, animations, games, artwork, cosplay, and more. A prime example is My Vampire System by UK-based author JKSManga, which has produced a massive online presence in shows, comics, audiobooks, lively discussion board threads, and translations into six languages.

The popularity and IP evolution of works such as My Vampire System, Lord of Mysteries, and the other titles from China included in the latest addition to the British Library shows that the story of online literature is only just beginning.