The British Library in London and Chinese digital literature company Yuewen have launched a three-year collaboration.
On November 22 in London, the British Library and Yuewen launched a landmark three-year collaboration, Literature in the Digital Age, aimed at enhancing cultural exchange between the UK and China and to promote the co-creation of new cultural intellectual property (IP). In parallel to this exciting project, ten popular online novels by Chinese authors have been donated in printed format to the British Library, which is the national library of the UK, documenting the increasingly popular cultural trend of internet literature in China.
The three-year collaboration includes a programme for Yuewen writers to explore some of the iconic items in the British Library’s collection, participate in creative workshops, and engage in the co-creation of digital campaigns, blending Yuewen IP with English literary works housed in the British Library.
The new collaboration was announced last night at a launch event at the British Library, where distinguished attendees explored and discussed literature in the digital age. The event featured representatives from the British Library and Yuewen, alongside renowned Yuewen author Yan ZK, Richard Pooley, the Director of the Conan Doyle Estate, and the step-grandson of Arthur Conan Doyle, the owner of the world-famous Sherlock Holmes IP.
During the event, new campaigns and activities for readers were launched, combining Lord of Mysteries—a top-ranked fantasy, adventure, and steampunk thriller with over 47 million views on WebNovel— with iconic works from the British Library’s collection, such as Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Pride and Prejudice, Frankenstein, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, offering an immersive exploration of the shared richness of classic and contemporary storytelling.
Jas Rai, the Chief Operating Officer of the British Library highlighted, “this collaboration with Yuewen is an exciting journey for us, one that underscores our mission to make our collection accessible and relevant to new audiences around the world. We’re excited for what’s to come as this project unfolds and connects literature lovers across continents.”
In an interview with China Minutes, Jas Rai emphasized the British Library’s commitment to ensuring public access to its collection and highlighted the excitement surrounding the inclusion of the 10 selected Chinese novels. She described the initiative as a way to introduce something new and different to readers, making these works more accessible while showcasing their value.
All these works were originally published on Yuewen’s digital platforms. In 2017, Yuewen launched its international platform, WebNovel, which now hosts 650,000 original works by 430,000 contributors from all around the world. Hou Xiaonan, the CEO and President of Yuewen, revealed that in the UK alone, WebNovel has attracted 16,000 contributors and over 6.83 million visitors to date, with an annual readership growing by nearly 30%—a testament to the growing cultural impact of internet literature in the UK.
As internet literature continues to gain mainstream popularity, particularly among Gen Z, it has evolved into a thriving commercial market, with Yuewen releasing adaptations of successful titles into films, dramas, games, and animations. A prime example is My Vampire System by UK-based author JKSManga, which has been translated into six languages and adapted into audiobook and comic versions.
Yuewen (China Literature Limited) is a culture and entertainment group specializing in developing IP derived from online literature. With a diverse portfolio that includes renowned brands such as QQ Reading, Qidian, New Classics Media, and Tencent Animation & Comics, Yuewen serves as a platform for tens of millions of creators, offering a rich reserve of literary works, audiobooks, animation, comics, films, drama series, games, and merchandise.
“These works show the world the creative energy coming from younger generations in China,” noted Hou Xiaonan. “By having some of these works in the British Library collection, it will help UK readers and researchers better understand modern Chinese culture, while also introducing the web novel model to the UK contributors which provides access to a vast new readership and significant opportunities for IP expansion and global influence.”
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