BEIJING, 17th June, 2025 (WAM) -- The number of online literature users in China increased to 575 million as of 2024, according to the 2024 blue book of online literature released Monday by the China Writers Association, up from about 500 million in 2023.
The report, based on data from 50 leading online literature platforms across China, estimated that the industry generated around 44 billion yuan (approximately $6.1 billion) in revenue in 2024.
According to a report by Global Times, the primary readership of online literature comprises individuals aged between 26 and 45, constituting approximately 50% of the overall audience. Additionally, readers born after the year 2000 account for nearly one quarter of the total user base.
By the end of 2024, China's online literature catalog had grown to more than 33 million works, with 2 million new titles added that year, a 7 percent increase from 2023.
High-quality online works continue to emerge across a variety of genres like realism, science fiction and historical fiction, enriching the fabric of contemporary Chinese literature.
Science fiction, in particular, is shining brilliantly as a standout genre. In 2024 alone, 180,000 new sci-fi titles were published, as the genre continues to gain traction and moves closer to the cultural mainstream, according to the Xinhua News Agency.Chinese online literature is gaining traction internationally. In 2024, the number of active overseas readers reached an estimated 200 million, with around 30 million new users joining platforms over the course of the year. The year 2024 also saw the addition of 120,000 new local overseas authors and 500,000 new locally overseas created works. Overseas readership and engagement also surged, with around 40,000 Chinese online literary works translated and distributed globally.
"Chinese online literature is gaining traction globally due to its diverse genres, including fantasy, historical fiction and romance, and science fiction. Unique story types like Wuxia (martial heroes), Xianxia (immortal heroes) and Xuanhuan (fantasy featuring adventures and wars) offer fresh cultural experiences that appeal to international readers," Sun Jiashan, an associate researcher at the Central Academy of Culture and Tourism Administration, told the Global Times on Tuesday.
According to Sun, the rise oversea is also supported by AI-assisted translation technologies and overseas online platforms, which provide fast and increasingly accurate translations. "These tools help bridge language gaps and bring serialized Chinese stories to a global audience more efficiently," explained Sun.