A tea set and a book gift box themed Lantern Festival Joy are displayed. [Photo provided to ezhejiang.gov.cn]

China's booming online literature sector is gaining momentum overseas, expanding from a niche readership to a broad cultural ecosystem. In 2024, the market for web literature exports exceeded 5 billion yuan ($695 million), with an overseas readership of more than 350 million.

Zhejiang has played a central role in promoting what industry insiders call the "new cultural trio" of online literature, web dramas, and online games.

On the banks of Baima Lake in Hangzhou sits the China Internet Writers Village, the country's first State-level platform dedicated to web literature. Since its founding in 2017, it has brought together about 350 authors. Works such as The Legend of Zang Hai were penned by its resident writers.

Wang Yurong, a young author at the village, said her current focus is on traditional culture and realist workplace themes. She noted that embedding cultural depth into stories has become a mission for her generation of writers. Wang's novel Lantern Festival Joy was picked up by an overseas publisher last year and is now slated for translation and release in Southeast Asia, Europe, and North America.

Another writer, Jiang Hua, recalled a personal encounter in Italy that highlighted this growing cultural resonance. After watching Chinese dramas and reading web novels, a resident had been inspired to try cupping therapy — a reminder, Jiang said, of the shift from exporting texts to exporting culture.

In 2019, Zhejiang launched a plan to nurture writers under 35. The province has pioneered initiatives such as professional title evaluations for web authors and immersive training camps. The Writers Village also runs a program to link authors with businesses to support adaptation into films, animation, and games.

By mid-2025, the village had worked with more than 300 enterprises, facilitating 99 deals worth 1.64 billion yuan. In 2024, nearly 30,000 licensing agreements were signed. Micro dramas based on online novels surged to more than 1,600 new adaptations, up 81 percent year-on-year, while 80 new animation projects were launched, up 16 percent.

Wang's Lantern Festival Joy, for example, has already been filmed as a micro drama, translated into over 20 languages, and is expected to premiere in late September across Southeast Asia, North America, and Europe. A game adaptation is also in development.