Illustration: Liu Xiangya/GT

The number of online literature users in China increased to 575 million during 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, estimates that the industry generated around 44 billion yuan ($6.1 billion) in revenue in 2024.

The report identifies the core readership of online literature as individuals aged between 26 and 45, who account for roughly 50 percent of the total readership. Readers born after 2000 represent nearly a 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 continued to gain traction and move closer to the cultural mainstream, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

The creative surge is largely driven by a new generation of young writers. In 2024, roughly 2.8 million authors registered on online platforms, including 350,000 who signed professional contracts. Nearly 40 percent of them belong to Gen Z.

The boom in online storytelling has sparked a wave of screen adaptations, with an increasing number of literary works being reimagined as television dramas, short-form series, animated shows and video games.

Short-form dramas, in particular, have seen a surge in popularity. In 2024, the format drew 662 million users and generated a market value of 50.4 billion yuan, surpassing China's total box-office revenue for the first time. That year, more than 1,600 short dramas adapted from online literature received official licenses, marking an 81 percent increase from the previous year.

Chinese online literature is also 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 created overseas works. 

Overseas readership and engagement also surged, with around 40,000 Chinese online literary works translated and distributed globally. Asia remains the largest market for Chinese online literature, accounting for about 80 percent of global readership and more than half of the global market share. North America has become a key region for the global expansion of Chinese online literature, representing around 30 percent of the worldwide market.

"Chinese online literature is gaining traction globally due to its diverse genres, including fantasy, historical fiction, 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 overseas 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.