A Conversation on Chinese and Western Culture|A foreign writer who has been activated by the "Chinese-style online literature gene".

▲A few days ago, the 2nd Shanghai International Internet Literature Week was held, where well-known online literature writers from 15 countries gathered to share the origin and mental journey of their creations, and experience China's intangible cultural heritage skills. Photo courtesy of the organizer

1 "Reading Chinese online articles makes me feel like I'm in love"

"Reading Chinese online articles makes me feel like I'm in love. Chinese online articles have inspired me, so I also wanted to write some online articles to inspire and encourage others. A few days ago, Philippine Internet literature writer Bellflower Reina (Eustoma_Reyna) said at the 2nd Shanghai International Internet Literature Week.

It was a wonderful party. Twenty-eight well-known online writers from 15 countries, including China, the United States, Bangladesh, Canada, the United Kingdom, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Russia, sat together to share their origins and journeys.

What those foreign writers have in common is that many of them are fans of Chinese online novels first, and they can't help but try to create their own stories when they read them. "Chinese-style online literature genes", so they frequently appear in those overseas literary works.

According to the "2023 China Online Literature Overseas Trend Report" released by Shanghai International Internet Literature Week, in 2022, the overseas revenue of China's online literature industry will reach 4.063 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 39.87%. As of October 2023, WebNovel has launched about 3,600 translations of Chinese online texts and about 610,000 overseas original works.

According to the report, WebNovel has trained about 400,000 overseas web writers. The United States, the Philippines, India, Indonesia, and Nigeria are the top five countries in terms of the number of overseas writers. Among the signed writers, the post-00s accounted for 42.3%, and the trend of younger creation was significant.

How does the "Chinese-style online gene" affect those foreign writers?

Carvin, a young man from the UK, is one of the overseas web writers. Influenced by the Chinese online novel "Douluo Continent", he registered an account with Qidian International in 2019 and began to create online literature under the pen name "JKSManga".

Four years on, Kavin has become one of WebNovel's most well-known writers of online literature. His book "My Vampire System" tells a bloody story of struggle, which has been read by more than 73 million people, and has been adapted into audio and comic works.

Kavin mentioned that his writing experience was deeply influenced by Chinese online articles. "I read a lot of Chinese works, such as very famous works like 'Super God Gene,' and then I started writing my Western fantasy work, My Vampire System. I found that when we read some classic Chinese online works, the pace was slow at first, but suddenly it rose to a very fast speed, like a roller coaster, and I felt the adrenaline rush to my head, which was a very exciting experience. ”

"Online articles allow readers and authors to interact together, which not only means that you are reading an e-book, but also a kind of socialization, a sharing based on shared values. Kavin said that after the adaptation of the work, new users will find resonance in the story, which is the charm of online articles.

Yazia, a post-00s Bangladeshi female writer who just turned 19 this year, likes to read Chinese novellas about love and family ethics. "These novels give me the pleasure of reading and fill my mind with my imagination. Popular Chinese online romance novels such as "Three Lives, Three Worlds, Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms" made me feel the charm of Chinese mythology and romance novels. ”

Azia said that when she first saw the TV series "Three Lives, Three Worlds and Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms", she had many curious questions, so she kept asking other friends who knew about the original novel, and was asked too much, and her friend said, "You go to read the book!" Azia began to read the novel, and the more she watched it, the more she liked it. "The novel is an eye-opener for me by integrating all sorts of elements. ”

The Barbadian female writer "Violet 167", who likes the Chinese novel "Lonely Fang and Doesn't Appreciate Yourself", lamented that through Chinese literary works, she really felt the powerful power of female protagonists - "they heal themselves as they grow up and become their own masters." ”

2 Writing online articles became her "passion" and changed her life

"Glorious Eagle" (Glorious_Eagle), a post-85s female writer from Ghana, read the first Chinese online novel with the theme of "son-in-law". "I was dazzled by the dramatic plot twists, and I admired the rich imagination of Chinese writers. These novels are so interesting that they inspire me to write similar novels in the future. ”

Online literature changed the trajectory of this African woman's life.

The Glorious Eagle, whose real name is Lucia Ewoenam Oniong Ekanem, is 35 years old. When she was a child, her stepmother treated Lucia very badly, so Lucia always looked forward to leaving home early and living independently. Lucia got married 7 years ago and later had two children, "I am very grateful to my husband for being there for me when I was not well".

After working for 10 years, Lucia decided to write online articles full-time, because this is "her passion", and the time to create online articles is flexible, and the income is enough to create a better life for herself and her family.

Lucia's favorite subject is romance, which was inspired by her marriage. "But I also draw inspiration from my parents' tumultuous relationships and my friends' successes and failures. I find inspiration in movies, short films, and everything around me. ”

Lucia's most popular work is In Search of Old Love. According to her, it was precisely because she was inspired by the plot of the Chinese online article "Chasing Wife" and "Big Heroine" that she began to write her own "Chasing Wife" article.

"I found inspiration when I read a similar story and was drawn to the rhythm at the beginning of that story. However, as the story progressed, it lost its appeal, which made me feel that if I wanted to write about the subject, I should take a different approach. ”

Unsure if she would succeed, Lucia delayed her writing. It wasn't until she was invited to write on WebNovel that she decided to take the opportunity and see if readers liked it.

"I am very grateful for the support of the editor, who has been more patient and skillful than any editor I have worked with before. She explained to me how the website works and helped me arrange the order of the chapters. She helped me get used to the pace of writing at WebNovel. ”

For example, Lucia told reporters that the editor suggested that the first three chapters of her novel should "focus on the psychological activities and feelings of the heroine" rather than too many scenes of other characters, and that the editor instructed her to revise the cover and synopsis of the novel to "make the book more attractive to readers by enriching the basic information."

Lucia admits that the reading data displayed in the background was not very good before the editor helped her to make changes. With the help of the editors, Lucia has noticed a significant increase in the number of readers of the novel, "and I will draw on these lessons in my future writing."

3 "My purpose in writing stories is to encourage women to be strong"

Three years ago, at the age of 16, Azia started writing web novels.

She explained that her pen name, Yazia, means "warrior" in Bengali. "I took this name because I believe I am a warrior and my greatest weapon is writing novels. My father passed away when I was just 16 years old, and since then, I have been writing for all of my family's financial needs. I've always been adventurous and outgoing. ”

Today, Azia is able to study abroad with the money she earns for her novels.

Azia said that she made friends who were also engaged in literary creation because of her online writing. At the same time, some of my friends were influenced and inspired by Azia's successful writing experience, and they also began to try to write online novels, which changed their life situation.

"In the beginning, when my friends didn't make money from writing, they would be forced by their parents to do things they didn't like, such as being required to study a certain major in college, or being arranged to go on a blind date. But when these friends earn money through writing and become financially independent, their parents' attitude will not be so tough. ”

Yazia happily told reporters that the two friends who write novels are now studying at universities in Bangladesh. "The friend who was forced by his parents to choose a major and chose his favorite architecture major and is about to enroll, and another friend who studied Xi in college mainly focused on Chinese cultural studies, and told me that he would definitely participate in the WSA (WebNovel Spirity Awards) next year and strive to win the award. ”

Kikyo Rainer is very fond of the works of the Chinese writer Baixiangmi, and thinks that it will "have a feeling of love" because of it.

Coincidentally, the Filipino writer's "idol" Passion Honey also recently came to the online article week, and Passion Honey said that she hopes to integrate what she thinks is meaningful into her work, "I want to advocate the awareness of women's independence, and women can have the right to say 'no' no matter where they are all over the world."

Lucia revealed that when she first started writing, the people around her did not understand what this woman was doing every day without going out. As Lucia gained fame and profit from her writing, she gradually gained respect from the people around her.

Lucia mentioned that in addition to raising children and daily expenses, she will donate 80% of the income from writing essays to help women who are in need.

Lucia hopes that the heroine of the novel she portrays is patient and persevering, and is full of strength. "A woman can cry when she is hurt, but she should not give up and she should not be consumed by pain. ”

Lucia said that after the tears, women should cheer up and fight for a better life. "Women shouldn't let failure prevail and let themselves collapse. Instead, she should prove that she can succeed without relying on men. Women are naturally intelligent and have the ability to turn decay into magic. My purpose in writing stories is to encourage women to be strong. ”

Producer/Ren Shuai

Editor-in-Chief / Chen Weichun

Editor/Li Leilei, Yang Yuqi

Source/China Youth Daily