China's online literature rakes in over $605m in overseas revenue in 2023

SHANGHAI -- China's online literature has accelerated its overseas expansion, with its total revenue in the overseas market reaching 4.35 billion yuan (about $605 million) in 2023, according to the latest industry report released on Monday.

In 2023, the revenue of China's online literature industry in the overseas market grew by 7.06 percent year-on-year, according to the report from China Audio-video and Digital Publishing Association (CADPA).

Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, including AI translation, are expected to further help the country's online literature win the hearts of overseas readers in the future, the association said during the third Shanghai online literature week held in the city from Monday to Wednesday.

As a leading online platform for the sector's international expansion, WebNovel of China Literature Limited, also known as Yuewen Group, had launched about 6,000 translated works of Chinese online literature by the end of November this year.

Among the overseas authors registered at WebNovel, those born after the 2000s account for 45 percent.

China's online literature provides a wealth of intellectual property resources, said Ao Ran, executive vice chairman and secretary-general of CADPA.