A Comparative Study on the Developmental History of Regional Online Literature — Focusing on The Chinese Mainland, Taiwan (China), and Hong Kong (China) (1998-2024)

Abstract

Since 1998, Chinese online literature has developed different regional patterns in the Chinese Mainland, Taiwan (China) and Hong Kong (China). According to the three-dimensional analytical framework of "media-capital-culture", this paper will examine the development path of online literature from these three aspects. Based on the above results, mainland China has established an industrial loop with the feature of "paid reading-IP development", Taiwan continues to take the traditional path of "forum-based creation and publication transformation", and Hong Kong has its own regional characteristic of "wuxia heritage-transmedia storytelling". These differences can be attributed to all sorts of changes in the media environment, capital logic and cultural traditions of the three places. With the spread of digital technology and the common foundation of Chinese culture, more and more exchanges and integrations have occurred in their literary fields. Research on the development differences and interaction forms of online literature in the three areas can help to build a general history of Chinese online literature and provide a reference for regional literary exchange and cultural dissemination.