International online literature comes to life at The British Library
The British Library and Yuewen have launched a landmark three-year collaboration, Literature in the Digital Age, to enhance cultural exchange between the UK and China and to promote partnerships in creating new cultural IP.
The new collaboration was announced in a launch event at the British Library with representatives from the British Library, Yuewen, the China-Britain Business Council (CBBC), along with renowned Yuewen authors and Richard Pooley, Director of the Conan Doyle Estate and step-grandson of Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes, to explore and discuss literature in the digital age.
Speaking at the event, Jas Rai, Chief Operating Officer of the British Library, highlighted how “this collaboration with Yuewen will make our collection accessible and relevant to new audiences around the world. We’re excited for what’s to come as this project unfolds and connects literature lovers across continents.”
The British Library expanded its Chinese collection by adding ten online novels by Chinese authors, including Lord of the Mysteries, Soul Land, and The Joy of Life.
This follows the library’s 2022 inclusion of its first batch of Chinese online literature.
These novels, originally published on platforms operated by Yuewen, a Chinese online literature company, were donated to document the cultural significance and rapid development of internet literature in China.
Some of the most popular new novels in China are being included such as Lord of Mysteries, a fantasy thriller that has amassed over 86 million views online.
“This is a recognition of not only our writers and their creativity, but also online literature as an emerging cultural force,” noted Yuewen Group CEO Hou Xiaonan. “Just as the popular Sherlock Holmes and Harry Potter grew from literary roots to worldwide fame, we look forward to welcoming the next generation of global stories in online literature. It is an honor to see titles such as Lord of Mysteries now being housed in the British Library alongside the works of Shakespeare and other classics.”
All these works were originally published on Yuewen’s digital platforms. In 2017, Yuewen launched its international platform, WebNovel, now hosting 650,000 original works by 430,000 contributors from around the world. Hou Xiaonan also revealed that in the UK alone, WebNovel has attracted 16,000 contributors and over 6.83 million visitors to date, with annual readership growing by nearly 30%—a testament to the growing cultural impact of internet literature in the UK.
The three-year project includes a programme for Yuewen writers to see some of the most iconic items in Library’s collection, attend creative workshops, and engage in co-creation digital campaigns with readers to blend Yuewen IP with English literature works from the British Library. By the end of 2023, the number of Chinese online literature readers reached a record 537 million, with the overseas market for this genre surpassing 4 billion yuan, spanning over 200 countries and regions.
Qianshanchake, a Chinese web novelist whose work Stacie was included in the library’s collection, expressed excitement and surprise at the recognition. She said she believes the adventurous themes and Oriental elements will resonate with British and European readers. “The core themes of novels are universal, transcending cultural boundaries,” she added. The British Library houses over 170 million items, including books, manuscripts, newspapers, and sound recordings.
