Chinese web novels are popular with foreign readers

精彩导读

网络小说在中国很受青少年欢迎，令人惊奇的是，它们在海外也颇受欢迎，让我们一起来了解一下其中的原因吧。

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After years of development，Chinese online literature hasgained popularityamong foreign readers，who are fascinated by the charm and cultural elements hidden within the unique works.

According to statistics from Novelupdates.com，a website that translates popular Asian novels for Western readers，Chinese web novels have created a reading craze（时尚）among foreign readers.Among the site's top ten most popular web novels，five were written by Chinese authors.

Chinese web novels have also been popular on other websites，attracting a large number of foreign readers.Founded in December 2014，Wuxiaworld.com is the largest Chinese web novel translation forum in the world，boasting（自夸）over 3.5 million page views each day.Statistics from Alexa Internet show that the website now ranks 995th in the U.S.，with 28.7 percent of its visitors from the U.S.

Many foreign readers say they have become hooked on Chinese web novels thanks to the novels'strong， imaginative plots， which include discussions of reincarnation（穿越），body tempering （炼体）and Chinese alchemy（法术）.Wuxia， meanwhile， features stories of martial（军事的） arts and magical powers.

“I am a huge fan of Chinese Wuxia novels.The martial arts hero themes and Chinese traditional cultural elements really appeal to me.Plus，the world described in Chinese web novels is beyond Western readers'imaginations， which is also very attractive，” Vegard Vagslid， a Norwegian student，told People's Daily.

In addition toreaders，the web novels have also inspired some foreign writers to create their own versions of Wuxia novels.A new book by Tina Lynge， “Riluo City，” was inspired by popular genres（流派） of Chinese web novels and has gained 66 comments and a score of 4 out of 5 on Amazon.

“I think China is ahead of most countries in terms ofweb novels， as online literature in China has seen explosive development in the past decade，leading tothe rapid growth of web novel sites and high-quality work，” said Li Li， a web novel writer.

According to a report released by China Internet Network Information Center in January，the number of Internet literature reader was 297 million in China in 2015，accounting for43.1 percent of all users and representing a year-on-year growth of 2.89 million.Internet literature has received a great deal of attention from Internet giants in the past year， with Baidu， Tencent and Alibaba rushing to establish their own departments devoted to Internet literature.

“Some may dismiss web novels as junk without any deep meaning， but I think it's an emerging industry with unique charm，offering the public easy andfree access toentertainment.That is to say，web novels mayserve asa good channel to promote Chinese pop culture，” Li added.

巧笔妙记

Ⅰ.热词积累

1.gain popularity受到欢迎

2.in addition to...除……之外

3.in terms of...就……而言

4.lead to导致

5.account for占；导致；解释

6.have free access to...有自由使用的……权利

7.serve as担任；充当

Ⅱ.创新阅读

What's the reason for the popularity of Chinese web novels among foreign readers?Please share your opinions with your partner according to the text.

译文助读

中国网络文学经过多年的发展，深受外国读者的喜爱，他们被其独特的魅力和隐晦的文化元素着迷。

根据为西方读者翻译亚洲流行小说的网站Novelupdates.com的统计数据，中国网络小说在外国读者中引发了一种阅读狂潮。在该网站最受欢迎的十大网络小说中，有五部是由中国作家写的。

中国网络小说在其他网站上也颇受欢迎，吸引了大量的外国读者。成立于2014年12月的“武侠世界”是世界上最大的中文网络小说翻译论坛，自诩每天的浏览量超过350万次。来自Alexa互联网的统计数据显示，该网站目前在美国排名第995位，其28.7%的访问者来自美国。

许多外国读者说，他们迷上了中国网络小说，这要归功于这些小说强烈而富有想象力的情节，其中包括关于穿越、炼体和法术的讨论。与此同时，武侠小说以武术和神奇力量为故事的特色。

“我是中国武侠小说的超级粉丝。武术英雄题材和中国传统文化元素深深吸引了我。另外，中国网络小说所描述的世界超出了西方读者的想象，这也是非常有吸引力的。挪威学生维加德·瓦莱塞告诉《人民日报》时说道。

除了读者之外，网络小说也激发了一些外国作家创作他们自己的武侠小说版本。Tina Lynge的新书《里洛城》受到了中国网络小说的流行派的启发，并在美国亚马逊上获得了66条评论和5分中的4分。

“我认为中国在网络小说方面领先于大多数国家，因为中国的网络文学在过去十年里经历了爆炸性的发展，导致了小说网站和高质量作品的快速增长，”网络小说作家李詈说。

根据中国互联网络信息中心1月份发布的一份报告，2015年中国互联网文献的用户规模为2.97亿，占用户总数的43.1%，同比增长289万。互联网文学在过去的一年里受到了互联网巨头们的极大关注，百度、腾讯和阿里巴巴都在争先恐后地建立自己的网络文学部门。

“有些人可能会认为网络小说是没有任何深层含义的垃圾，但我认为它是一个具有独特魅力的新兴产业，让公众可以轻松、自由地获得娱乐。也就是说，网络小说可以作为一个很好的渠道来推广中国的流行文化。”李补充道。