What does it take to create an industry that generates hundreds of millions of dollars and that encompasses movies, televisions, animations, comics, games, and a host of other fields? A single computer, coupled with a keyboard, is more than enough for China’s online literature industry. 

Douluo Dalu (Soul Land), Hua Qiangu (The Journey of Flower), Langya Bang (Nirvana in Fire), Gui Chuideng ( host Blows Out the Light) … What is more remarkable is the fact that these popular web fictions, plus the TV dramas and movies adapted from them, as well as mobile games and related products — commonly known as IP (intellectual property) brand — were all born in a "village.

That “village” is the China Internet Writers’ Village, which is situated by the White Horse Lake in Hangzhou, and was opened on December 9, 2017. Co-established by the authorities of Hangzhou High-Tech Zone (Binjiang), Online Literature Academy of China Writers Association and the Hangzhou Municipal Federation of Literary and Art Circles, the village is China’s first such organization of its kind. By December 10, 2020, figures show that 179 cyberspace writers have chosen to be the village’s resident writers. Of the nine members of China Writers Association who consider themselves as internet writers, six are “villagers” of the China Internet Writers’ Village.

Among the famed resident writers in the village are Zhang Wei, better known by his pen name “Tangjia Sanshao”, author of Douluo Dalu (Soul Land), who also happens to be the first chief of the village; Xiao Feng (pen name Mao Ni), author of Jianke (Guest); Zeng Yu (pen name Jinhezai), author of Wukong Zhuan (A Biography of Wukong); Meng Hu (pen name Jiu Tu), author of Jiayuan (Home); Wei Lijun (pen name Yue Guan), author of Huidao Mingchao dang Wangye (Return to the Ming Dynasty as a Prince); and Wang Dong (pen name Hudielan), author of Quanzhi Gaoshou (The King’s Avatar). Incidentally, each of the six novels has also been listed as one of the “20 Best Works of China’s Online Literature in the Past 20 Years”.

“Hollywood blockbusters, Japanese animations, Korean TV dramas and Chinese online literature are regarded as the four cultural phenomena in the world,” according to Ouyang Youquan, deputy director of the Online Literature Academy of China Writers Association. “I think this is a very fair assessment. China’s online literature is unique in terms of its writers’ community and readers groups, the number of works created and its widespread influence.”

Internet writers are developing a growing sense of social responsibility. “The influence of online literature cannot be overestimated,” argued Fu Zhen, who goes by the pen name Lianqingyi. “This is not only down to its rising popularity but also shows the charm of the internet era. Right now, online literature is facing a watershed moment, as quality, rather than quantity, will be the ultimate litmus test for online literature.

One case in point is Zhanqi 1938 (War Starts in 1938), a web novel by Zhu Minqi (pen name Fengdiuzi), which was shortlisted for the Maodun Literature Prize, the most prestigious literary prize in China. Online literature is gradually going mainstream, Zhu believes. “If I tell people that I’m an internet writer, half of them will probably still take my qualification with a pinch of salt,” she said. “But if I tell them that my work was once considered for the Maodun Literature Prize, they may well change their attitude.” internet writers like Zhu are increasingly winning recognition for their works, which in turn has propelled them to gain a keener awareness of social responsibility when writing. 

They also have a lot to thank for what the village has offered. “Mountains, lakes and a tinge of nostalgia”. Sitting right between the Guanshan Mountain Forest Park and the White Horse Lake, the village and its surroundings are proved to be quite a source of inspiration for the resident writers. The village works as both as a base for established writers to create new works and an incubator for young and upcoming authors. Indeed, most of the internet writers worked on their own before they join “organizations” such as the China Internet Writers’ Village. Now, with the establishment of local associations of internet writers, they have ever more channels to have their voices heard.

“The purpose of the village is mainly two-fold,” explained Shen Rong, director of the village’s general office. “The first is to help internet writers to communicate and cooperate with one another, and the second is to guide them in their writing, offer training courses as well as workshops, and ultimately encourage them to produce quality works.” 

But the village is more than a gathering place for literary minds; it is also a platform for related industries to thrive. Relying on the village’s strong network effect derived from online literature, a digital and entertainment industry chain around it has already come into shape. Some eight animations, films and games companies have already spontaneously converged around the village, both upstream and downstream, engaged in literary creation, games and animations. 

Meanwhile, more than a dozen events such as the China Online Literature Week, salons, training camps and workshops have been held over the past year. In fact, it is during one of the events that the idea to produce the animated version of Douluo Dalu (Soul Land) was born. The village has gradually grown into a hot place of high-quality online literature resources to develop IP brands. Apart from Douluo Dalu (Soul Land), a number of other IP brands have already been born or are being incubated. 

"The mission of the village is to attract more outstanding internet writers, and more importantly to help young writers realize their literary dreams," said Shen Rong. "In the future, I hope the village can create an IP industrial chain with online literature at the center, where authors can write their works in peace and production companies can easily explore opportunities to build IP brands. 

for online writers to not only write but communicate with each other.