Xiao Xu, who is studying in London, recently made a new discovery: his British classmates are actually following the same Chinese online novel as him. Surprised, she tried posting "Find like-minded people" on social media. With this search, 'surprise' turned into 'delight', and we immediately received replies from book fans in over a dozen countries including France, Russia, the United States, Sweden, the Philippines, Malaysia, and more! Xiao Xu's observations are a microcosm of the acceleration of Chinese online literature going global in recent years. It is no longer uncommon for domestic online articles to be loved and urged to be updated by global readers. Let's take a look at a set of data. In 2023, the overseas market revenue of China's online literature industry reached 4.35 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 7.06%; The total number of online literature works going global is about 695800, with nearly 300 million overseas users on top platforms. In November 2024, 10 representative works of Chinese online literature, including "Master of Mystery," "Full time Master," "Celebrating the Year," and "Douluo Continent," were included in the British Library, bringing the total number of entries to 26. Why is the overseas promotion of online literature accelerating in terms of quality? The application of AIGC (Generative Artificial Intelligence) in online text translation is a strong trend. Translation is the first bridge for Chinese cultural products to go global. Especially in areas where traditional Chinese cultural elements such as history, martial arts, and mythology are concentrated, how can the spiritual core of "the greatest of heroes" be adapted to the understanding logic of overseas readers? How to seamlessly integrate the cultural value of "Eastern mythology" with the civilization concepts of various ethnic groups around the world? To truly impress overseas audiences, it is essential for professional translators to travel between different cultures, repeatedly scrutinize and meticulously polish their works. However, the limitations of manual translation in terms of speed, production capacity, and cost have once become a "stumbling block" for the upgrading of the scale of online literature going global - as of 2023, the number of Chinese online literature writers has exceeded 24 million, and the total number of works has exceeded 36 million. It is obviously impossible to translate the vast amount of online literature solely by hand. The entry of AIGC has brought an opportunity to solve this problem. With the help of AI language models for text optimization and multilingual translation, the production capacity of online literature going global has been significantly improved. Translation efficiency has been improved by nearly a hundred times, and costs have been reduced by over 90%. To ensure translation quality, AI models often complete basic translation first, and then manually refine cultural terminology, literary imagery, metaphors, and symbols; Subsequently, by collecting and analyzing feedback from overseas users and continuously updating and optimizing corpora adapted to different genres and themes, AI translation becomes smarter as it is used. Empowered by new technologies, coupled with the wisdom of "human-machine collaboration", it has become possible for online literature to "go global with just one click" and "synchronize updates globally". AI translation is gradually removing language barriers, and online literature creation is facing an unprecedented broad market, while new challenges are also emerging. With the influx of high-quality works, the mode of online literature going global has also been upgraded. From relying on enthusiasts to spontaneously move and rely on overseas platforms to "borrow ships to go out to sea", to mastering copyright resources and launching our own platform to "ship ships to go out to sea", and then to achieving "IP to go out to sea" through content co creation and multi country remakes, as the conversion scenarios become increasingly diverse and the platform influence continues to expand, the cross-cultural adaptability of online cultural works also needs to be further enhanced. Chinese online literature has always been known for its tight pace, novel plot, and refreshing writing style, which is also the main factor in meeting the cultural needs of global readers. With the large-scale application of AI technology, how to maintain and strengthen the distinctive characteristics and cultural connotations of Chinese online literature in the works created by humans and AI together is still a topic being explored. Online literature creation also needs to incorporate global elements and enrich creative themes. Looking at the current hot online literature, the "mixed aesthetic" is gradually heating up - Western fantasy literature and Chinese urban literature are blending, and the martial arts world can also be reconstructed in the style of "cyberpunk". Overseas audiences show their love for Chinese culture, and even integrate Chinese elements into local creation; With the expansion of AI technology, creators should also "go both ways" to bring their works closer to the world and seek innovative inspiration through diverse "mix and match". At the same time, online literature creation also needs to delve deep into the "Chinese core". Looking back at the journey of online literature going global, from the establishment of WuxiaWorld, the first Chinese website for translating online literature into English, in 2014, which gathered a group of overseas "martial arts fans", to the current proliferation of science fiction, suspense, history, fantasy, reality, urban romance and other themed online literature overseas. Some people are moved by the profound cosmology and restrained emotional expression in "The Three Body Problem", while others are captivated by the Chinese humor and character growth in "Celebrating the Years"... What captures readers is not only traditional Chinese cultural elements such as Taoism, tea art, and giant pandas, but also the vivid contemporary Chinese style and Chinese values that resonate with the world. At present, with the assistance of AI, online literature has ushered in another opportunity to accelerate its journey abroad. Creators should seize the opportunity to broaden the boundaries of their themes with a global perspective, consciously protect their spiritual roots with culture, and bring more surprises to overseas readers. (New Society)