Fantasy novels fire the imagination of netizens
Since JK Rowling's Harry Potter series blew away audiences worldwide, fantasy novels have been thriving in the publishing world as well as on screen. Now fantasy novels in China are getting their break on the Internet, as budding authors knock out romances and thrillers to win great popularity among virtual communities.
Domestic search engine Baidu.com announced a list of this year's bestselling online novels in mid-December. Six out of the top 10 are fantasy stories. Each novel has drawn millions of hits on a single website since it was posted.
Most of these fantasy blockbusters borrow ideas from ancient Chinese legends or classic kung fu novels, in combination with the elements of similar Western novels. "They are full of imaginations and free!" say almost all of their readers to explain why they read these stories.
Though the online popularity of these stories may have grown out of the overwhelming success of Western fantasy novels in the domestic publishing market, including Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings, China does have its own tradition of fantasy novels, like the classic Flowers in the Mirror (Jinghuayuan), written 200 years ago by Li Ruzhen (about 1763-1830).
The story follows the exotic adventure of a businessman in the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907). The man enters various worlds, including an all-women society and a strange land, where people literally have two faces.
Similar stories have mushroomed recently with the growth of online reading.
"I used to refuse to read online because I thought it was uncomfortable. But after I finished my first online novel it became a habit," said Zhang Na, 26, from Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province.
She started reading online novels about two years ago. She says her favourite novels are historical romance, rather than fantasy.
Zhang said it was not the content that drew her to online novels. Instead, she said, it was because she has developed an increasing attachment to the Internet. "I spend more time with my computer and the Internet, as a lot of people around me do, so I am more inclined to read online," Zhang said.
However, despite their popularity in the virtual world, most of the smash hits never find their way to a bookshelf. Getting printed is still their final dream.
According to Baidu's list, this year's top seller online is Ghost Blows off the Light (Gui Chui Deng), also known as The Story of Grave Robbers. The thriller, which is referred to as China's Indiana Jones, is an adventure set in ancient tombs.
Soon after it earned top ranking on several websites, domestic publishers began seeking out the novel and it was published in paperback in September. The book is also selling well.
Its author, Tian Xia Ba Chang (whose real name is Zhang Muye), once told domestic media that the story was totally imagined, though it involves a lot of archaeology.
"I don't have any expertise in that area. Most of the content was made up," he said.
Zhang said he began writing online novels in October last year. "My girlfriend loves reading adventure stories, so I started trying to write one. The novel is simply for entertainment," he said.
Zhang describes his writing as mediocre. He said the success of his novel is mainly due to its originality. "Perseverance is also important to win support, because readers will lose interest if you don't update your stories regularly," he added.
Zhang's novel is not the only one to be transformed from its digital origins to paperback. Publishers are increasingly interested in online novels given the widespread influence of the Internet.
(China Daily 01/09/2007 page19)
