Accelerating industrialization, the market scale of Internet literature IP adaptation has exceeded 360 billion yuan

     In the "2025 China Online Literature Development Research Report" released by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing on April 13th, a set of data is particularly eye - catching: The market scale of IP adaptation of Chinese online literature reached 367.61 billion yuan, a year - on - year increase of 23.13%. This is not only a significant leap in figures but also marks that online literature has accelerated from the "reading track" into the "industrial fast lane" and has become a force that cannot be ignored in the cultural industry.

  Looking back at 2025, Chinese online literature has delivered a substantial report card: The scale of the reading market reached 5.021 billion yuan, a year - on - year increase of 16.6%; the number of authors reached 32.694 million, an increase of 1.496 million compared with 2024; the number of works reached 45.837 million, an increase of 4.186 million compared with 2024...

  Online literature has become one of the most active positions of the "new mass literature and art". Among online literature authors, there are not only IT engineers and college students but also food delivery riders, online car - hailing drivers, scientific researchers, and university teachers. Ordinary people from all walks of life use their keyboards to write the earthly charm and imagination of this era.

  Particularly eye - catching is that the post - 95s and post - 00s are setting off a "youth storm" from both the writing and reading ends. Among the newly signed writers of Yuewen in 2025, the post - 95s accounted for 70%; on the reader side, it is also getting younger. Among the new users, the post - 00s accounted for 38%, becoming the largest group.

  They not only "follow the updates" but also participate in co - creation in depth through bullet comments, character dubbing, IP secondary creation, etc. 77 million user comments in the "Chapter Comments", more than 180,000 work dubs, and online interactions covering users in 34 countries... This generation of young people is not only consumers of online literature but also builders of the online literature ecosystem.

  Among the winners of the 6th China Publishing Government Award, two online literature works, "Police Affairs in Binjiang" and "When Will I Be Called to Serve", won the "Online Publication Award". The report evaluates that the continuous breakthroughs in national - level awards fully confirm the achievements of the high - quality construction of online literature, and its literary value and social recognition have reached a new level.

  As the IP adaptation chain becomes increasingly mature, the "multiplier effect" of hit works begins to be released. The popularity of the online literature - adapted drama "The Great Feng's Night Watchman" has driven a 9 - fold increase in the reading volume of the original work month - on - month. The popularity of its comic with the same name is nearly 2 billion, and the playback volume of the audiobook is over 10.6 billion, making it a phenomenon - level work.

  On April 13th, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences released the "2025 China Online Literature Development Research Report" in Beijing. Photo by Yu Junjie, Xinhua News Agency reporter.

  Short dramas and comic dramas have become the active "twin engines" of IP transformation. In 2025, the market scale of short dramas reached 108 billion yuan, a year - on - year increase of more than 110%; the comic drama industry has formed a pattern of tens of billions in scale, and more than 80% of comic drama projects have clear authorizations from top - tier online literature IPs.

  Chinese stories are going global, and the discourse system is being established. Online literature has contributed a unique Chinese solution to global cultural exchanges and mutual learning. In 2025, the number of active overseas users of Chinese online literature was nearly 200 million, covering more than 200 countries and regions.

  With the popularity of online literature around the world, the application of AI translation has spawned a "translation revolution" with both quality and efficiency. By the end of 2025, on the Qidian International platform alone, the total number of AI - translated works exceeded 17,000, and the income increased by 39% year - on - year, contributing more than one - third of the platform's total revenue. The adaptation of online literature IPs is leading the cross - industry overseas boom. Online literature, online movies and TV dramas, and online games together constitute the "new three items" of Chinese culture going global, jointly promoting Chinese narratives to the world.

  The years of practice of Chinese online literature have provided important support for the continuous prosperity of the "new mass literature and art". In today's era of rapid evolution of digital and intelligent technologies, online literature is no longer just "feel - good novels". It is a microphone for ordinary people to express themselves, a super source of the IP industry, and a cultural envoy for Chinese stories to go global. (Xinhua News Agency)

(Source: Xinhua News Agency  )