Internet literature opens up a new channel for "going to sea".
Core Reading. After years of development, the trend of online literature going overseas has gradually become large-scale, the radius of communication has been continuously extended, and the coverage has continued to expand, and Chinese online literature has become one of the most dynamic innovative carriers for Chinese culture to go global.
Today, it is not a new concept for Chinese online literature to go overseas. By the end of 2022, the overseas market size exceeded 3 billion yuan, and a total of online literary works were exported overseas1More than 60,000 units, with more than 1 overseas users500 million people, ...... in more than 200 countries and regionsAfter more than 20 years of development, Chinese online literature has become one of the most dynamic and innovative carriers for Chinese culture to go global.
At the same time, the overseas dissemination of online literature presents a richer form and path. From texts going overseas, IP going overseas, and models going overseas to culture going overseas, the trend of online literature going overseas has gradually become large-scale, the radius of communication has been continuously extended, and the coverage has continued to expand.
NewThe themes and genres are diverse, and high-quality works stimulate empathy and resonanceIn overseas, 16 Chinese online literary works such as "Great Power Heavy Industry" and "Son-in-law" have been included in the British LibraryOn the starting point international platform, writers from more than 100 countries co-create ......In recent years, online literary works that have gone global have presented a variety of dimensions in terms of themes and types, responding to the diverse aesthetic needs of overseas readers.
It can be seen from the 2022 China Online Literature Influence List "Overseas Communication List": "Brilliant Stars, Lucky and Even" shows the charm of national style aesthetics and traditional culture;"Cosmic Pro" integrates multiple elements such as the evolution of life to show a powerful imagination and narrative ......The excellent traditional Chinese culture endows literary creation with unique empathy and profound appeal, which is the foundation and driving force for China's online literature to sail to the sea.
The author of "I Eat Tomatoes", the author of "I Eat Tomatoes", and his previous works such as "Panlong" and "Star Change" have been translated into multiple languages, and some of them have been published overseas. He believes: "The spread of Chinese online literature overseas is a process from the spontaneous translation of fans to the adaptation of animations, games, and short films on the platform, and then gradually expanding its influence, which has the potential to become a cultural phenomenon that sweeps the world." Ding Ying, vice chairman of the Hunan Provincial Internet Writers Association, also felt deeply: "In May this year, I participated in an exchange event in Malaysia and found that when it comes to popular online literary works and hot words in China, local college students know very well and respond quickly. Chinese online literature has had a huge influence abroad, and it has spread almost simultaneously with the domestic dissemination. ”
Why is it that online literature can transcend borders, languages and cultures, and be loved by overseas readers?"It's inseparable from a wonderful story, a rich imagination, and a common emotion that is either passionate or touching behind it. Hou Xiaonan, CEO of China Literature, said that whether it is the growth and dreams in "Breaking the Sky" and "Full-time Master", or the heroic feelings in "Celebrating More Than Years", "the common emotions of human beings are the basis for good stories to attract readers around the world." "The cross-cultural dissemination of online literature has different directions and speeds in different countries and regions. From a regional point of view, China's online literature is mainly disseminated in North America, Southeast Asia and other key regions, of which the Asian overseas market accounts for about 55% of the global market. "Only by understanding the preferences of audiences in different countries or regions for online content types can we better carry out targeted market development and operation. Liu Xudong, president of Jinjiang Literature City, said.
outColor"Generation Z" has become the main force of reading and writing, and high interactivity promotes cultural exchangeIn April, a four-page letter written in Chinese characters arrived in China. "This is the first time I've watched Chinese online literature, and the characters are very vivid. The article is very rhythmic and beautiful. The letter sent by this overseas reader to "Fengyue", the author of "Apocalypse Forecast", appeared on the hot search, and netizens commented that "heavy words are the power of love". What's even more rare is that this reader translated the physical book and recommended it to his friends by teaching Chinese on his own.
In recent years, it has developed from the original writing by Chinese authors and reading by overseas readers to the writing of foreign local authors, reading by local audiences, and local reading and writing interaction, which has become a new phenomenon of online literature going global. Online literature writers and readers are showing a trend of younger people, and online literature writers have become a new choice for overseas youth employment.
Young people deserve to be the main force of online literature, and they are also the most active protagonists of cultural exchanges. Among our overseas contracted writers, the post-95s and post-00s account for seventy percent. Nearly 80% of Gen Z readers are readers. Hou Xiaonan said that online literature has not only gone out, but also entered the cultural life of many overseas young people.
While chasing updates in real time, liking or "complaining", in the comment area of the work, you can see plot analysis, character comments, cultural introduction, popularization of common sense, explanation of terms, and plot suggestions everywhere - "watch and comment", high interactivity, so that online literature has strong vitality. Nowadays, the number of "100,000+" or even "1 million+" comments has become the standard for popular works, and the interaction between writers and readers, and between readers and readers, ties the emotional bond of a work. According to reports, in 2023, the maximum number of daily comments from international users will exceed 150,000. The most discussed Chinese topics were Taoism, food, martial arts, tea art and pandas.
Real-time reader feedback allows authors to better understand the audience's preferences and feel what readers are saying about their work, and can also adjust the direction of their creation. Online literature has a large amount of productivity and 'quality inspectors' (readers) as well as low-cost trial and error opportunities, and it is also easier to produce and screen excellent works. Liu Xudong said.
The influx of young creators and readers has led to the diversified development of online literature, making works a window to project the characteristics of the times and the aesthetic psychology of contemporary people. Most of the original overseas creators combine their own context and cultural characteristics to create, and they are also deeply influenced by the genre of Chinese online texts. Popular domestic fantasy, Xianxia and other genres, pandas, high-speed rail and other elements are commonly found in the pen of overseas writers;Integrating elements such as elves and magic, overseas writers have explored their own styles. Nearly 95% of the international oriental fantasy works are original by overseas writers, and some directly name characters in Chinese, with a strong "Chinese flavor" in the theme setting and the connotation of the work.
Out of the loopThe overseas influence of IP adaptations continues to rise, becoming a world-class cultural phenomenon, and the overseas revenue of China's online literature has increased from less than 100 million yuan 10 years ago to more than 3 billion yuan in 2022, with more than 100 million subscribers and reading app users, and a huge consumer group has given birth to a rich mine of IP.
The overseas influence of IP adaptation of online literature continues to rise, and the localization ecology of creation has been initially established. From texts going overseas, IP going overseas, models going overseas to culture going overseas, online literature has spread Chinese stories to all over the world, and has increasingly become a world-class cultural phenomenon. He Hong, director of the Internet Literature Center of the China Writers Association, introduced that at present, the China Writers Association is vigorously promoting the "online literature going to sea", creating the "Generation Z" international communication project, and promoting online literature to become a beautiful business card for Chinese culture to go global.
Going to sea is not only about texts going out, but more importantly, about letting Chinese culture go out. The influence of the text itself is limited, but the influence of publications, film and television, animation, radio dramas, short plays, stage plays and other online literary derivative works is unlimited. The increasingly diversified models allow practitioners to continue to explore more ways to open up online literature. Liu Wuhua, CEO of Sailing, observed that the overseas dissemination of short dramas is in the ascendant, and promoting the creation of short online literature is becoming a new outlet.
If IP is the "amplifier" for online literature to go overseas, then the application of new technologies is the "accelerator" for the landing of online literature. In particular, the application of AIGC (generative artificial intelligence) to text translation is breaking through the limitations of production capacity and cost, making it possible for online literary works to go out on a large scale and scale.
According to industry experts, "human + machine" is currently the most commonly used translation mode. AI (artificial intelligence) translation and drawing technology greatly reduce the translation cost of the work, shorten the conversion cycle, and achieve an accuracy of 95%. Some platforms will also conduct centralized "special training" on AI models, and incorporate excellent translations, original works, and standard thesaurus into the Xi corpus.
In the future, how can online literature better go overseas?"The improvement of the taste of overseas readers has forced online literature operators to seek more refined and localized translated works. Practice has proved that 'Chinese editors + overseas authors + classic narrative mode of Chinese online literature + overseas high-quality local language' can cultivate high-quality online literary works that meet the aesthetics of global reading. In the view of Liu Jinlong, executive vice chairman of the Gansu Provincial Network Writers Association, there is a huge space for the development of online literature derivative content represented by short dramas, and China's online literature development model will continue to contribute to the development of global online literature as a demonstration and standard of text, operation, and commercialization.
When you go out, you have to walk in. "Across cultural differences and language barriers, we must do a good job in the localization and adaptation of works, so that the output of works is no longer just to follow the trend, but to create the trend. Liu Xudong believes that "it is necessary to reserve enough works to give living space to unpopular themes and experimental works that are not profitable at the moment, and provide more 'nourishment' for literary and artistic works in the form of film and television, games, animation, and audiobooks." ”
Online literature is not only a window of the times for the world to understand China, but also a digital bridge for exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations. Hou Xiaonan said, "With the change of science and technology, we are facing the wave of globalization, and we look forward to online literature embracing a new stage of IP development and bringing more good stories to the world stage." ”
*: People**, December 5, 2023, 13th edition.
Typesetting: Li Gengchen.
Editor: Deng Jiexi.
Second trial: Zhang Junping.
Third trial: Wang Yang.