The film and television drama of the same name adapted from Tang Jiasanshao's "Douluo Continent" has been hotly discussed. The picture shows the stills
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Standing in a new historical position, online literature in 2021 shows a strong momentum of development and is the most active plate in contemporary literature. As a "barometer" of popular culture, whether it is in the form of text to respond to the call of the times, present the style of the times, expound the spirit of the times, or provide high-quality story content for the pan-entertainment industry, it highlights the cultural bearing in the process of building a cultural power. This year, there are more than 150 million overseas users of online literature, and it has attracted a large number of readers to turn around and become authors, creating works in local languages. Online literature has become an important channel for foreigners to understand Chinese stories and learn Chinese culture. Major era propositions such as fighting the new crown epidemic, poverty alleviation, rural revitalization, building a community with a shared future for mankind, and scientific and technological power have been vividly presented in online literature, a number of excellent realistic theme works have been launched, history, urbanity, romance, fantasy, suspense and other genres go hand in hand, and new masterpieces and other high-volume head works have played a leading role, and high-quality content has increased.
In 2021, online literature maintained the largest proportion of the literary reading market with the absolute number of readers, authors and works, and continued to occupy a larger share in Internet applications. Looking back at the annual development, in the field of online literature, the consensus of literary websites and related industrial enterprises, readers and authors, management departments and theoretical reviews has further increased, the writing mechanism and ecological structure have been continuously optimized, and the road of high-quality development has been taken through high-quality content generation, adhering to the development direction of mainstreaming, quality and internationalization, and highlighting the development direction of value leadership, theme and type development, IP development and overseas dissemination, the rise of Generation Z authors and readers, and the improvement of industrial mechanisms "The opening year of the plan and the major historical node of striving for the second centenary goal highlight the positive significance and broad prospects.
Reflecting the life of the times to create cultural value has become a new mission of online literature
In order to achieve the strategic goal of building a cultural power by 2035, as an important part of mass culture, online literature should assume its due responsibility in this historical process. Online literature is not only for the public's entertainment, our discussion of the cultural value of online literature has long begun, and it is more urgent this year.
With the deepening of reform and opening up and the development of the Internet, the network literature and its extensive social influence have made it a powerful form of expression of the times. Although the traffic of netizens is close to the "ceiling", the number of online literature readers has still increased this year, and the 48th "Statistical Report on the Development of China's Internet Network" shows that the total number of users in the first half of the year reached 461 million, accounting for 45.6% of the total number of netizens, with a growth rate of 0.2%, and the number of readers reached the highest level in history. To provide spiritual food for such a large readership, the value of online literature is extremely important. Following the signing and release of the "Proposal for Improving the Quality of Online Literature" signed and released by 136 online writers at the end of last year, in April this year, 45 websites organized by the China Writers Association jointly issued the "Proposal for Improving the Quality of Online Literature Editing", strengthening ideological orientation and value guidance at the source of creation and editing, paying attention to the unity of social and economic benefits, and clearly aiming at "prospering and developing cultural undertakings and cultural industries, and promoting the construction of a socialist cultural power". In addition, the work of strengthening literary and art criticism and carrying out comprehensive management of the cultural and entertainment fields deployed this year have taken the socialist core values leading the fashion of the times as the basic requirements for the literary and artistic fields, and have given online literature a more specific social responsibility.
On the occasion of the centenary of the founding of the Cpc, the online literary circles reflect the life of the times and express the voice of the people through theme activities and the creation of works. The Network Literature Center of the China Writers Association organized a series of activities of "Tribute to the Centenary of the Founding of the Party, Online Literature 'One Hundred Years of 100 Works'", held a group exhibition of themed works, and collected 564 works from the website for free online; and jointly organized with the Shanghai Writers Association the "Ode to the Red Flag - Tribute to the Centenary of the Founding of the Party, 100 Websites, 100 Fine Works" Selection Activity Press Conference and the Online Literature Seminar on striving for a hundred years of road and setting sail for a new journey, singing the main theme of the times in the online literary circles. A number of head works such as Qi Orange's "Big Country Heavy Industry", He Changzai's "Haodang", and crazy and lost son's "Hundred Years of Family Letter" have been loved by readers. The platform also actively guides the creation of themes, the realistic theme essay contest as a brand activity of the Reading Group, the fifth session announced this year has a total of 19256 participants, a total of 21075 entries, an increase of more than 40% year-on-year, the number of participating authors and works have reached a record high. The first realistic theme competition of Seven Cats Chinese Network was also held this year, under the theme of "Telling Chinese Stories and Praising the Great Era", the four major theme directions of "Centennial Birthday", "Aspiration of a Strong Country", "National Story" and "The Most Beautiful Hometown" were set, and more excellent works that reflected the spirit of the times and expressed the feelings of the family and the country were excavated, and 33 high-quality works were awarded.
A number of works with the themes of traditional culture, the "Belt and Road" and the community of human destiny, such as "The Dream Code of the Covered Bridge" (aged), "Lion Dancer" (Jade Bunting), "Railway Stars" (Yiyang), which were launched this year, highlighted the initiative in building a cultural power and created unique cultural values in cyberspace.
The rise of realistic themes and the formation of new heat of backbone genre masterpieces
Since the Eighteenth National Congress of the Communist Party of China, under the continuous guidance and encouragement of social forces, the creation of realistic themes has risen, changing the situation of the monopoly of fantasy novels in the past, and promoting the balanced development of themes and genres, and in 2020, about 2 million new works were signed in Chinese online literature throughout the year, and realistic themes accounted for 60%. This year's guidance efforts have been further increased, and at the same time encouraged by the demand for social reading, the popularity of realistic themes has continued to rise, and a number of excellent works have been launched; at the same time, under the role of market mechanisms, the main types of history, urbanity, romance, fantasy, suspense and so on go hand in hand, and the new masterpieces of famous artists and other head works with high traffic and high IP value have played a strong leading role, and the quality content has increased.
Realistic themes have become the backbone genre, and excellent masterpieces have set a new benchmark. In the past two years, major social propositions such as fighting the new crown pneumonia epidemic, poverty alleviation and rural revitalization, building a community with a shared future for mankind, and the spirit of the times they contain have been vividly presented in online literature, and this year a number of vane-style works have received social attention with distinct themes, full of emotions and solid narratives. "Big Dipper Star" (Bandit Jia) positively cut into the research and development and application promotion of China's navigation satellites, the main line describes the work experience of four young people in this field, the choice of different scientific and technological directions and entrepreneurial routes, reflecting the great feelings of national revitalization and science and technology to serve the country, the author blesses the creation with the professional identity of scientific and technological workers, and the knowledge provided by novel themes and detailed expressions makes the novel uniquely attractive. "Thirty Thousand Miles of River East into the Sea" (He Changzai) extends the narrative time and space of "Haodang" and deepens the theme, through the experience of three young people, it not only shows the opportunities and challenges faced by the young generation in Shanghai, but also shows the vitality and infinite hope of Shanghai's development in the new era, full of fresh elements of the times and the passion of struggle. Focusing on the growth and struggle of young people after the reform and opening up, "The Galloping Age - To the South to the North" (Mei Shiniang), and "Dancing with the Sand" (Ling Fox and Wu Jie), which tells the story of China's science and technology going to sea, are also among the best. These works that write reality are selected from the fiery scene of life and intentions, anchor the aesthetic relationship between emotion and value expression and reality, and respond to the call of the times.
The "blockbusters" of famous artists in traditional genres such as fantasy, urban, historical, and xianxia have emerged one after another, showing the powerful power of fan reading. "Changle Li: Prosperous World as I Wish" (Xiao Riding School) integrates the history of revolution and the history of reform and opening up, reflects the changes from the "918" incident to today's Shanghai with a tortuous story of "spy shadows and a hundred years of love", connects the old and new time and space through the "crossing" technique, while listening to the echoes of history, explores the endless life power of the nation, so that readers can appreciate the special charm of online literature in the theme idea and narrative art, which can be called one of the most important harvests of the annual creation.
"Doctor Lingran" (Shitorimura) and "The Robbery of All Races" (Eagle Eats Chickens), two works that have attracted the attention of readers, have been serialized this year, the former as a representative of the "professional flow" to tell the growth process of an excellent doctor, the combination of superpowers and reality to enhance the expressiveness of the theme; the latter with the strategy of "playing the pig and eating the tiger" to shape the protagonist image of the protagonist who has the ability to revitalize the human race during the invasion of foreign races, and the complex fantasy world composed of its own logical practice system shows a rich imagination.
Works such as "Heavenly Holy Order" (Jiang Shengnan), "Re-Youth" (Crazy Lost Son), "Spring Mountain" (Yi Qianwei) and other works also have excellent performances. These works complement each other with realistic themes, meet the different emotional expectations and psychological wishes of readers, provide readers with a virtual survival experience, and the narrative world constructed becomes a new space for exile of imagination and allegorical soul.
The characteristics of overseas dissemination and IP development activate new momentum
"Going to sea" is also a popular word in the online literary world in 2021. During the International Internet Conference, the first "China International Internet Literature Week" was held in Wuzhen, the China Writers Association released the "China Internet Literature International Communication Development Report", data show that by the end of 2020, China Internet Literature exported more than 10,000 online works overseas, of which more than 4,000 physical books were authorized, more than 3,000 online translation works were launched; more than 100 million website subscription and reading APP users, covering most countries and regions in the world. From the publication of offline physical books to the multilingual dissemination of IP-derived multimedia products, to the complete serialization of the translated text of "Panlong" that is still talked about on overseas websites, until the formation of an omni-channel distribution mechanism, "going to sea" has become a new growth pole in the online literature industry. Under the background of the era of Chinese culture "going out", this year's online text going to sea has reached a new peak in terms of scale and format, and together with traditional IP development, it has expanded the influence of the whole industry.
This year's overseas communication presents three characteristics. First of all, the "two-line parallel" strategy has achieved remarkable results, which not only accelerates the pace of output of mature content, but also promotes the "localization" of the online literature production mechanism overseas, and the "production line" of Chinese online literature with original significance continues to extend overseas, and the level of internationalization is improved. The overseas revenue model is still based on paid reading, while exploring models such as advertising unlocking and monetization, according to iResearch consulting statistics, as of July this year, the market size has doubled and increased by more than 3 billion yuan.
The overseas communication business of leading online literature enterprises such as Reading Group, Palm Reading Technology, and Jinjiang Literature City has surged, and the power of "going to sea" has shown a trend of collectivization. The "China NetWen Joint Overseas Plan" launched last year launched version 2.0 this year, with nearly 100 companies joining the plan and opening up the world's first AI translation production and publishing network in the field of literature, and the technology empowerment of online texts to go to sea has made substantial progress. In the first half of the year, the number of new paying users in the overseas business of Palm Reading Technology exceeded one million, and the revenue reached 148 million yuan, an increase of more than 100% over the same period last year. Jinjiang Literature City deepened its cooperation with Russia this year and expanded the European and American markets.
The scale of overseas users hit a new high and increased rapidly. This year, there are more than 150 million overseas users, and a group of readers have been attracted to turn around and create works in the local language for the authors, and the starting point of reading articles alone will exceed 200,000 overseas authors this year. Among overseas users, the number of people who read Chinese works every day accounts for 83.4%, and the proportion of users who are older than 2 hours per reading accounts for more than 57%, and online literature has become an important channel for foreigners to understand and learn Chinese culture.
The original translation and adaptation of the output of translation works due to the translation of the language involved, is actually a form of cross-media communication of online literature, while the traditional IP adaptation is still the focus of content value-added, last year more than 20% of the cultural industry IP development projects were taken from online novels, and online literature drove the downstream industry to more than one trillion output value.
This year's cultural and entertainment ecological governance has made the investment in the pan-entertainment industry more prudent, but the IP development of online texts has not decreased, and a number of projects have won the favor of the audience. In terms of film and television dramas, "Son-in-law" adapted from the angry banana work of the same name, "Si Teng" with the same name by Tail Fish, Mu Qingyu's work of the same name "You are my city pool fortress", as well as "Flowers on the Sea" adapted from bandits and I Sicun's "Flowers on the Sea like a Dream", "Mountain and River Order" adapted from Priest's work "Tianyake", and "One Life and One Life" adapted from Mo Baofeibao's online novel "One Life and One Beautiful Bone" have all become popular dramas. In addition, the online adaptation of short dramas has also become the highlight of this year's market, and in terms of animation, there are Tang Jiasanshao's "Douluo Continent", the fourth season of "Fighting the Sky" of Heavenly Silkworm Potatoes, and "Devouring the Starry Sky" that I eat tomatoes. In addition to traditional fields such as publishing, film and television, games, and animation, the sudden emergence of immersive "script killing" has opened up a new way for the online IP market, and Cai Jun's "The Nineteenth Layer of Hell" and catty "Qingyu Nian" have been adapted to provide players with a new aesthetic experience.
Gen Z has a global impact and ushers in a new era of iteration
In this year's online literature industry, whether it is readers or authors, Generation Z has become the main force. In 2020, the "post-95s" became the main force among writers, with more than half of the Z generation readers; the new authors of the Reading Group accounted for nearly 80% of the Z generation, and the Z generation readers accounted for more than 60%. Among the author portraits released by Reading Group this year, "post-95s" accounted for more than 36%, the fastest growth, while "post-95s" accounted for 80% of new writers. The rise of Generation Z has brought a global impact to the entire industry and also brought new hope.
Because Generation Z's initial life experience is full of virtual network experience, they are closer to the Internet than previous generations, and "digital survival" has become the norm for them. Reflected in the field of online literature, the interest preferences and enthusiasm of young people have spawned new formats. In terms of content, in the past, some "small types" are becoming the mainstream, in addition to fantasy, suspense and campus life themes close to teenagers, science fiction, light novels, e-sports, online games, two-dimensional types and "system flow", Ma Jiawen and other comprehensive rise, "full-time master", "honey stewed squid", "when waste wood meets the system", "reincarnation paradise" and so on the popularity is not unrelated to this.
Because the plots in such works are difficult to match with real life through traditional literary expression methods, readers experience immersive emotions in the virtual world, and their "subcultural" characteristics are more obvious. This year's game novel "The Richest Man From the Game" (Green Shirt Drunk), the two-dimensional novel "The King of shura Field" (Ah Fei) and so on have a high market heat. Reading Group's "2021 Science Fiction Online Literature New Trend Report" shows that young readers have become the most important science fiction reading force, and Generation Z readers have increased by more than 44% year-on-year. In the creation, short stories, light novels and science fiction have become among the favorite creative themes of "post-95" writers, and works such as "We Live in Nanjing" (Tianrui Says) and "The Naming of the Night" (Talking Elbow) have broken many platform records.
They have a strong desire to participate, and Gen Z readers are more enthusiastic about expressing their opinions and feelings, and after interacting with the author as a fan, they affect the creation, making the online novel a work that the author and the reader complete together. The "this chapter says" in the whole platform of the reading article and the book circle function in the APP are on fire. Just like the "bullet screen" in the video, in the "This Chapter Says", the reader can communicate about the work itself and the knowledge involved, or they can spit and joke, so that quiet reading and lonely creation become a lively communication scene. Some researchers pointed out: "The book circle of reading apps has become a gathering place for the literary life of 'Generation Z', who write reviews, score, urge changes, share lives, publish original stories, and reprint popular passages in the circle of book friends." Today, when social media is strongly involved in literary activities, online writers are also paying more and more attention to the suggestions of absorbing readers, commonly known as 'copying book reviews'. Some of the more popular works have borrowed a lot of comments from netizens, and some online authors often visit the book review area to get inspiration for writing. "The rise of Gen Z has made it normal for readers to participate in online creation.
Standing at a new historical starting point, this year's online literature continues to show a strong momentum of development. In addition to the above overall characteristics, some influential events that occurred in the field of online literature this year have brought us new enlightenment and thinking while optimizing the industry mechanism and industrial structure, for example, reading group and Chinese online to carry out strategic cooperation, seven cats Chinese network and vertical and horizontal Chinese network merger, in the technical framework of the Internet "decentralization" "re-centralization", intensified the intensification of online text operations, changed the market pattern; Jinjiang Literature City implemented reading grading, took the lead in recommending works to readers according to age, Innovative attempts have been made in vertical distribution, etc.
In terms of the number of readers, online literature is already mainstream literature, but in a large number of works, the lack of fine works, the lack of classic masterpieces is an indisputable fact, at the same time, there are still some works in shoddy, low style, there are money worship, historical nihilism and other issues. This is not only related to the popular literary and artistic attributes of online literature, but also related to the sense of responsibility of the platform and creators. It is foreseeable that with the further improvement of the social and cultural governance system, the development of Chinese online literature will have richer possibilities and broader prospects.
(The author is a senior visiting scholar at the Institute of Literature of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and a researcher at the Hebei Network Literature Center)
Source: Wen Wei Po