China Literature Ushers in a Burgeoning Era of Online Literature Globally as its International Platform Webnovel Celebrates 1st Anniversary

SHANGHAI, May 22, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- China Literature's international platform (webnovel.com), the international operation of China's leading online literature platform Qidian.com, celebrated its first anniversary on May 15, 2018. In the past year, Webnovel stepped up its efforts in improving its translation accuracy and increasing its content diversity. It has broken records in the number of online works and active users, making it the bellwether of China Literature's expansion into the global online reading market. Since 2005, works on China Literature's platform Qidian.com have become the representative of online Chinese literature across the globe. Webnovel spurs progress with innovation in its business models and talent nurturing, fueling the global online literature sector with Chinese literary talent.

Variety in stories and payment methods

In May 2017, China Literature launched Webnovel to provide diversified content quickly and a convenient user experience to readers around the world. In just one year, Webnovel has attracted over 10 million visitors with a lineup of more than 150 English translated works and over 620 original ones.

Qidian.com is home to all the popular genres among overseas readers, including fantasy, romance and martial arts. For translated works, Webnovel sets standards for translation and trains new talent regularly to guarantee good quality. It has a network of over 200 translators and translation groups across the globe. English translations of some stories are released and updated simultaneously with the original Chinese works. To enrich the content, Webnovel also partners with overseas institutions, such as Gravity Tales, to foster the globalization of online literary works.

Webnovel has adopted a range of payment methods that appeal to different kinds of readers, including paying by chapter, "wait or pay" and paying by clicking advertisements to unlock new chapters. According to China Literature, the goal of all these innovative measures that offer effective and personalized services is to make the industry a sustainable one.

Incubation of new talent around the world

The vision of Webnovel, according to China Literature, is not only to be the prime reading platform for the best online literary works but also to be an incubation base for overseas writers. The global community has embraced the move with great enthusiasm. Since April 10, 2018, users have been able to submit original stories to the website. In the one-month trial period, more than 1,000 writers have registered. Over 620 English stories have been received and read. Most of the works are deeply influenced by Chinese online literature with typical Chinese cultural themes.

To further develop new talent, Webnovel has built an editorial team to explore gems in these English stories. Writers of works with potential will be offered a contract. Besides, Webnovel will provide learning opportunities to writers, such as having prominent editors or renowned authors to share expertise through lectures. There are also bonuses and financial awards for excellent writers.

Webnovel has made significant inroads in improving user experience. A range of technological innovation is underway. For example, it has carried out the Accelerated Mobile Pages projects with Google, which will create mobile optimized content once and have it load instantly everywhere.

To celebrate the first anniversary of Webnovel, China Literature has unveiled an array of ranking events, including one where users can vote for the most popular stories of the week. The top three stories will be rewarded with cash prizes. In addition, the website has also released "Titles of the Year". The most viewed tile is Library of Heaven's Path.

China Literature has more events in the pipeline in New York and Singapore to connect global writers, translators and readers. China Literature wishes to be involved in many possibilities of renewing Chinese culture, as well as the innovative and competitive edge of Chinese enterprises in the global market.

About China Literature

China Literature Limited is a pioneer of the online literature market and operates a leading online literature platform in China. The Company's shares were listed on the Main Board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange under the stock code 0772 on November 8, 2017.

China Literature is a market leader as measured by the scale and quality of writers, readers and literary content offerings. As of December 31, 2017, the Company had 6.9 million writers and 10.1 million online literary works, covering over 200 genres and reaching millions of readers. During 2017, the Company had on average 191.5 million monthly active users on its platform and its self-operated channels on partner distribution platforms.

About Webnovel

Webnovel is a world-leading online literature platform and community. It is a brand that affiliates with China Literature. Webnovel focuses on providing high-quality online stories to millions of readers in the global market across its website and mobile app, offering them a customized reading experience.

SOURCE China Literature