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Chinese online novels have found diverse global audiences in recent years, with some ranking the development and internationalization of such literature as among the "four new cultural wonders" of the world. (The others being Hollywood movies, Japanese anime and manga, and South Korean TV series.)
There are more than 100 websites and online forums dedicated to Chinese web novels in North America alone. One of the largest is wuxiaworld.com, whose founder, 31-year-old Chinese-American Lai Jingping, goes by the pen name Ren Woxing.
Lai Jingping (left) and Tangjia Sanshao, online writer. [Photo from internet]
How did Ren Woxing start his online novel business?
Lai aspired to "do something for Sino-US relations" after graduating from the University of California, Berkeley.
First, he joined the United States Foreign Service. Then, he translated fiction. One of his earliest achievements was becoming the first person to translate a 3.4 million word-long web novel that had been arranged into 804 chapters. He gave away his translations for free chapter-by-chapter on the online forum SPCNET, where fans discuss and share translations of sought-after works.
His translations proved so popular that he was inspired to launch website wuxiaworld.com in December 2014. As of August, it had received more than 1 billion visits. Nowadays, he has become an international sensation for his masterful translations of Chinese fantasy novels into English.
Lai views his work facilitating Chinese online-novel translation as a continuation of his mission to connect China with the outside world. His website offers English translations of 40 novels, most of which are web literature, including Coiling Dragon, which was successful overseas.
Here are some of the most popular online novels among foreign netizens:
1
Blue Phoenix  《蓝凤凰》
2
Battle Through the Heavens  《斗破苍穹》
3
I Shall Seal the Heavens  《我欲封天》
4
Coiling Dragon  《盘龙》
5
Against the Gods  《逆天邪神》
These five novels may be more familiar to Chinese netizens, as most have been adapted into TV dramas. Are you able to match them to their original Chinese names? 
1
Ten Great III of Peach Blossom
2
Nirvana in Fire
3
Fleet of Time
4
A Smile is Beautiful
5
Jade Dynasty
Literature's online migration
Wuxiaworld owner Lai said some readers who have become fans of translated Chinese web literature were previously admirers of Japan's light-novel youth genre. 
Some turn to Chinese online literature after following the country's kung fu films and TV shows. Others are introduced by friends or happen upon novels while surfing the web, while a few still start with printed translations of Chinese fiction before migrating to the internet.
China Reading Limited, one of the oldest and largest groups operating in the field, has 600 million registered user accounts. Its more than 4 million online writers have created 10 million works and it has sold the copyrights of 200 online titles in 20 countries.
"Literature's online migration is a revolution in creation, dissemination and business operation," said Wu Wenhui, president of the group.
An expanding international readership
The group brought 20 writers to meet fans in Singapore this month and participated in the London Book Fair in March. It plans to launch the English-language webnovel.com next month, followed by versions in French, Spanish, Russian, Thai and Arabic.
"The charm of Chinese culture-its thousands of years of rich legends and history-has built a solid foundation for web novels' allure," Wu said.
Which is the online novel that impresses you most? What are your attitudes towards the internationalization of Chinese online literature? Share your stories and opinions with us!
Editors: Shen Yiming, Wang Shuangxin (intern)
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