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中国网络小说培育出整整一代读者，开创了写作、阅读、再出版的新型“生态性”链接，为中国当代文化的进一步繁荣，开辟了有意义的新路子。
一
知道网络小说的风靡是在修电脑时，当时年轻的技术员正利用点滴闲暇在手机上看小说。聊天中，他说他浏览过的网络小说有好几百部，惊讶之余，我觉得所谓现在人不读书之类的话，其正确性有待验证。
后来，听说有些网络小说有上亿点击量，有时在路上看见人聚精会神地看手机，就自然联想那是在看小说。这些读者也许不习惯踏进书店，但原始而真实的阅读故事的欲望同样存在，因此，对中国网络小说的风生水起，大可以解读为一批不入文学史的作者为大群不入大历史的读者写书的现象，作者和作品的境遇，就像当年自生自灭的乡村小戏。
中国网络文学的萌芽、成长，属于“有一点阳光就灿烂”。在网络上发表作品，让会写能写的人绕过了纸质图书的出版，使阅读极为方便、自由，而且花费也非常小。中国大陆网络文学的“开山人物”是一个名叫“图雅”的人。他于1993年到1996年间，在中文网络上发表短篇小说、散文、寓言，被网友追读。之后，他神秘消失，至今身份依然是个谜。不过，“图雅”的作品主题和写作手法，依然归于“正统”文学的风格。
到了21世纪初，中国大陆文学网站星星点点，长篇小说渐渐成为主流。这些文学网站成功找到了生存的盈利模式：作者按章写作、上传更新，读者免费试读、付费续读。在这种模式下，读者与作者持续互动，作者会根据读者的口味不断调整写作。不能得到读者点击的作品，就会夭折;能够写到终局的作品，一定是得到读者青睐的。很多时候，别说读者，就连作者都不知道故事将如何发展。这种模式使得各种小说比如武侠、言情、宫廷、仙侠、玄幻、都市、异能、穿越等“类别”爆发式出现，但作者与“图雅”有一个相同之处：百分之九十九选择使用笔名。
应該看到，中国网络小说的蓬勃甚至爆炸式发展，带动了各具体样式的文学回归大众阅读，但毋庸讳言，网络小说泥沙俱下，如今，一部一部能转为纸质图书出版的优秀作品依然不多，因为内中有一些只是借助“浪潮”发行，绝无再版可能。
不过，网络小说的影响所及，不仅在文学一端，当下，被读者追捧的作品，题材主要涉及玄幻、仙侠、穿越以及后宫等，也有大量基于现实的职场、商务、破案、言情等，里面有一些被改编成影视剧、动画片，或者游戏、动漫等，成为各种文化产品的一大灵感来源，影响力可见一斑。
二
有国际评论说，中国网络文学是当代文化的显扬现象之一。中国网络小说在世界范围内有一大批读者，从21世纪起，在东南亚华文圈流行。影响所及，从2009年到2013年，越南翻译出版了800多种中国文学作品，其中500多种为网络小说。最近几年，美国和加拿大大约有700部中国网络小说有全译或节译，在“小说更新”等100多个网站和论坛刊登。最初，志愿者及赞助者参与翻译一些章节，而后，读者愿意付费就继续翻译。这个模式类似于中国文学网站的运行方式。
在海外，中国网络小说以玄幻类别的最受追捧。玄幻小说并非中国首创，它是各国古代神话传说的现代延续。中国进入现代以来，玄幻小说几乎绝迹，只在武侠小说中或隐或现。在欧美，玄幻小说虽然说不上繁荣，但一直有作品出现，并与科幻、恐怖等小说有着广泛的联系。《哈利·波特》《指环王》《暮光之城》《冰与火》等，中国读者也可以读到。在美国电视连续剧中，玄幻的故事一直是一个很大的类别，受众很广。最近正在播放的根据同名小说改编的电视剧《美国众神》，就是一部典型的玄幻剧。我们大概可以说，网络上玄幻小说的大量出现，为中国现代文学的多样性和丰富性填补了一个空白，也为中国文学的浪漫想象传统续上了新鲜血脉。
在中国网络小说的世界传播中，“武侠世界”网站是首屈一指的。该网站由美籍华裔赖静平创建，于2014年12月上线。之前，此人是外交官，他在翻译“我吃番茄”撰写的《盘龙》一书时，感觉无法兼顾，遂辞职专心经营网站。两年多时间里，“武侠世界”已成为最大的中国网络小说英译平台，每月有超过320万的点击，总计超过20亿的访问量，粉丝遍布世界100多个国家和地区。赖静平对网站的定位十分清楚：他从事的是文化交流。很多国外读者之前看过中国的功夫片，对中国略有了解，读中国的玄幻小说，算是续上了与中国的前缘。网站很多访问者对中国传统的生活、社会、文化、思想的第一次了解，都来自这些小说。网站为之打开了一扇大门。
有阅读就有交流，就会生发各种后续文化行为。“武侠世界”运行，留言有50多万条，有人赞扬中国网络小说的奇异想象力和宏大叙事，也有人表达想学中文的愿望。
中国网络上的玄幻小说使外国的有些读者甚至自己模仿写小说。26岁的丹麦人缇娜·林格已经写了40多部作品。她创作的《蓝凤凰》中男主角的名字采用拼音，读起来就像是中国人。此书的电子版本已在“亚马逊”上线。
在玄幻小说这个门类里，中国年轻的作者异军突起，他们生动的灵感和奇异的文学想象力，并不亚于国外玄幻作家。能够吸引国外读者，得益于作品能别开生面地展示中国文化和历史，而宏大叙事也为国外文学作品树立了榜样。
（本文图片由作者提供）
Chinese web novels have nurtured a whole community of readers and cultivated an ecology of writing， reading and publishing. These novels have opened a new and meaningful path to the country’s cultural prosperity. I learned about the popularity of web novels when I was getting my tabletop computer fixed at a computing mall. A young technician at the shop was reading a novel on his mobile phone. He confessed shyly that he had read hundreds of novels published online. I was surprised to learn he had read so much. The encounter got me into thinking that it is not true that people of today don’t read any more. Since then I have noticed people reading on their mobiles and tablets. I suspect that they probably would never visit a bookstore and buy a novel for themselves， but web novels have opened up a new world for them， satisfying the mankind’s primitive desire for knowing how other people live. Web novels are a phenomenon： a group of young authors are writing novels and millions of young people are reading. These web novelists， mostly publishing under strange pennames， very probably will never get mentioned in any history of Chinese literature and their readers are certainly part of the silent majority who will never get mentioned in any history. These web novelists and their novels are like rural and regional operas prevalent in China hundreds of years ago， which mostly came out of nowhere and vanished into nowhere. Only a few of them have stayed and some of them are now considered precious cultural heritage at various levels.
Websites which offer novels for readers have found a way to survive and make a profit： writers upload their novels chapter by chapter， readers read first chapters free of charge; if they want to read more， they pay. At these websites readers and writers closely interact and in many cases jointly decide how characters in a certain novel go on. Novels that readers follow are money makers. Novels that fail to attract readers die. Web novels thrive in various genres and subgenres. Fantasies account for the greatest percentage.
Web novels go international
Chinese web novels have long since gone international. A previous survey said that Vietnam translated and published over 800 Chinese novels including 500 web novels from 2009 to 2013. In recent years， over 700 Chinese web novels were translated and published in whole or in part at websites in North America. These websites operate in a similar manner like their Chinese counterparts： some translated chapters are published first. Readers will raise funds through crowd-fund to pay translators to go ahead with more chapters if they decide they like what they have read.
It is understandable Chinese fantasies are welcome by overseas readers. In a sense， fantasies are the modern reincarnations of ancient myths and legends. In modern times， Chinese fantasies almost disappeared and one could only read about them in kungfu novels. Web novels are bringing the fantasy tradition back to Chinese readers， adding a special touch of diversity and richness and imagination to the literary China.
WuxiaWorld is probably the best known internet platform which uploads translated Chinese Wuxia novels. It was founded by RWX， a lover of Chinese martial arts fiction. In Chinese he is known as Lai Jingping. A brief biography says his ancestors came from China and he worked as a USA diplomat before he resigned to set up WuxiaWorld.
一
知道网络小说的风靡是在修电脑时，当时年轻的技术员正利用点滴闲暇在手机上看小说。聊天中，他说他浏览过的网络小说有好几百部，惊讶之余，我觉得所谓现在人不读书之类的话，其正确性有待验证。
后来，听说有些网络小说有上亿点击量，有时在路上看见人聚精会神地看手机，就自然联想那是在看小说。这些读者也许不习惯踏进书店，但原始而真实的阅读故事的欲望同样存在，因此，对中国网络小说的风生水起，大可以解读为一批不入文学史的作者为大群不入大历史的读者写书的现象，作者和作品的境遇，就像当年自生自灭的乡村小戏。
中国网络文学的萌芽、成长，属于“有一点阳光就灿烂”。在网络上发表作品，让会写能写的人绕过了纸质图书的出版，使阅读极为方便、自由，而且花费也非常小。中国大陆网络文学的“开山人物”是一个名叫“图雅”的人。他于1993年到1996年间，在中文网络上发表短篇小说、散文、寓言，被网友追读。之后，他神秘消失，至今身份依然是个谜。不过，“图雅”的作品主题和写作手法，依然归于“正统”文学的风格。
到了21世纪初，中国大陆文学网站星星点点，长篇小说渐渐成为主流。这些文学网站成功找到了生存的盈利模式：作者按章写作、上传更新，读者免费试读、付费续读。在这种模式下，读者与作者持续互动，作者会根据读者的口味不断调整写作。不能得到读者点击的作品，就会夭折;能够写到终局的作品，一定是得到读者青睐的。很多时候，别说读者，就连作者都不知道故事将如何发展。这种模式使得各种小说比如武侠、言情、宫廷、仙侠、玄幻、都市、异能、穿越等“类别”爆发式出现，但作者与“图雅”有一个相同之处：百分之九十九选择使用笔名。
应該看到，中国网络小说的蓬勃甚至爆炸式发展，带动了各具体样式的文学回归大众阅读，但毋庸讳言，网络小说泥沙俱下，如今，一部一部能转为纸质图书出版的优秀作品依然不多，因为内中有一些只是借助“浪潮”发行，绝无再版可能。
不过，网络小说的影响所及，不仅在文学一端，当下，被读者追捧的作品，题材主要涉及玄幻、仙侠、穿越以及后宫等，也有大量基于现实的职场、商务、破案、言情等，里面有一些被改编成影视剧、动画片，或者游戏、动漫等，成为各种文化产品的一大灵感来源，影响力可见一斑。
二
有国际评论说，中国网络文学是当代文化的显扬现象之一。中国网络小说在世界范围内有一大批读者，从21世纪起，在东南亚华文圈流行。影响所及，从2009年到2013年，越南翻译出版了800多种中国文学作品，其中500多种为网络小说。最近几年，美国和加拿大大约有700部中国网络小说有全译或节译，在“小说更新”等100多个网站和论坛刊登。最初，志愿者及赞助者参与翻译一些章节，而后，读者愿意付费就继续翻译。这个模式类似于中国文学网站的运行方式。
在海外，中国网络小说以玄幻类别的最受追捧。玄幻小说并非中国首创，它是各国古代神话传说的现代延续。中国进入现代以来，玄幻小说几乎绝迹，只在武侠小说中或隐或现。在欧美，玄幻小说虽然说不上繁荣，但一直有作品出现，并与科幻、恐怖等小说有着广泛的联系。《哈利·波特》《指环王》《暮光之城》《冰与火》等，中国读者也可以读到。在美国电视连续剧中，玄幻的故事一直是一个很大的类别，受众很广。最近正在播放的根据同名小说改编的电视剧《美国众神》，就是一部典型的玄幻剧。我们大概可以说，网络上玄幻小说的大量出现，为中国现代文学的多样性和丰富性填补了一个空白，也为中国文学的浪漫想象传统续上了新鲜血脉。
在中国网络小说的世界传播中，“武侠世界”网站是首屈一指的。该网站由美籍华裔赖静平创建，于2014年12月上线。之前，此人是外交官，他在翻译“我吃番茄”撰写的《盘龙》一书时，感觉无法兼顾，遂辞职专心经营网站。两年多时间里，“武侠世界”已成为最大的中国网络小说英译平台，每月有超过320万的点击，总计超过20亿的访问量，粉丝遍布世界100多个国家和地区。赖静平对网站的定位十分清楚：他从事的是文化交流。很多国外读者之前看过中国的功夫片，对中国略有了解，读中国的玄幻小说，算是续上了与中国的前缘。网站很多访问者对中国传统的生活、社会、文化、思想的第一次了解，都来自这些小说。网站为之打开了一扇大门。
有阅读就有交流，就会生发各种后续文化行为。“武侠世界”运行，留言有50多万条，有人赞扬中国网络小说的奇异想象力和宏大叙事，也有人表达想学中文的愿望。
中国网络上的玄幻小说使外国的有些读者甚至自己模仿写小说。26岁的丹麦人缇娜·林格已经写了40多部作品。她创作的《蓝凤凰》中男主角的名字采用拼音，读起来就像是中国人。此书的电子版本已在“亚马逊”上线。
在玄幻小说这个门类里，中国年轻的作者异军突起，他们生动的灵感和奇异的文学想象力，并不亚于国外玄幻作家。能够吸引国外读者，得益于作品能别开生面地展示中国文化和历史，而宏大叙事也为国外文学作品树立了榜样。
（本文图片由作者提供）
Chinese web novels have nurtured a whole community of readers and cultivated an ecology of writing， reading and publishing. These novels have opened a new and meaningful path to the country’s cultural prosperity. I learned about the popularity of web novels when I was getting my tabletop computer fixed at a computing mall. A young technician at the shop was reading a novel on his mobile phone. He confessed shyly that he had read hundreds of novels published online. I was surprised to learn he had read so much. The encounter got me into thinking that it is not true that people of today don’t read any more. Since then I have noticed people reading on their mobiles and tablets. I suspect that they probably would never visit a bookstore and buy a novel for themselves， but web novels have opened up a new world for them， satisfying the mankind’s primitive desire for knowing how other people live. Web novels are a phenomenon： a group of young authors are writing novels and millions of young people are reading. These web novelists， mostly publishing under strange pennames， very probably will never get mentioned in any history of Chinese literature and their readers are certainly part of the silent majority who will never get mentioned in any history. These web novelists and their novels are like rural and regional operas prevalent in China hundreds of years ago， which mostly came out of nowhere and vanished into nowhere. Only a few of them have stayed and some of them are now considered precious cultural heritage at various levels.
Websites which offer novels for readers have found a way to survive and make a profit： writers upload their novels chapter by chapter， readers read first chapters free of charge; if they want to read more， they pay. At these websites readers and writers closely interact and in many cases jointly decide how characters in a certain novel go on. Novels that readers follow are money makers. Novels that fail to attract readers die. Web novels thrive in various genres and subgenres. Fantasies account for the greatest percentage.
Web novels go international
Chinese web novels have long since gone international. A previous survey said that Vietnam translated and published over 800 Chinese novels including 500 web novels from 2009 to 2013. In recent years， over 700 Chinese web novels were translated and published in whole or in part at websites in North America. These websites operate in a similar manner like their Chinese counterparts： some translated chapters are published first. Readers will raise funds through crowd-fund to pay translators to go ahead with more chapters if they decide they like what they have read.
It is understandable Chinese fantasies are welcome by overseas readers. In a sense， fantasies are the modern reincarnations of ancient myths and legends. In modern times， Chinese fantasies almost disappeared and one could only read about them in kungfu novels. Web novels are bringing the fantasy tradition back to Chinese readers， adding a special touch of diversity and richness and imagination to the literary China.
WuxiaWorld is probably the best known internet platform which uploads translated Chinese Wuxia novels. It was founded by RWX， a lover of Chinese martial arts fiction. In Chinese he is known as Lai Jingping. A brief biography says his ancestors came from China and he worked as a USA diplomat before he resigned to set up WuxiaWorld.