The most popular genres of online literature in China include fantasy, romance, martial arts and science fiction. Among the 63 online literary works on the top 100 best-selling list of books published in 2021, most were targeted at women readers, and 22 titles from Tangjia Sanshao's Douluo Dalu (Soul Land) series, first run on qidian.com, were among the best-sellers.

Shen Yu, a former book editor based in Shanghai, who has observed the industry for more than 10 years, says more people read online literature, which is usually entertaining but lacks in depth and artistic merit, because amid the pandemic people need to find comfort in entertaining texts, in which protagonists usually conquer difficulties and achieve success in either romantic relationships or professional fields.

Despite the fast growth of online literature, the leading seats on the best-selling list are still taken by classic books, with The Three-Body Problem trilogy books occupying the first three places. Among the 100 best-selling fictional works, 12 were published in 2021, mainly new works by established writers, the new editions of classic books and online youth fiction. Yu Hua's novel Wencheng (The Lost City) sold more than 1 million copies in three months since it was published in March 2021, making 10th place on the top 100 best-selling list.

"In general, compared with cold hard facts in nonfiction, fiction might be able to give readers more comfort," Shen says.

Among the 100 best-selling nonfiction works, in addition to British writer Robert De Board's Counseling for Toads: A Psychological Adventure that topped the list, there were 19 other psychological or self-help books. Ten books about family education, and 10 books on economics and finance also entered the list.

"In 2020 and 2021, people felt more pressure due to the pandemic. That is why psychological books received more attention. Compared with books that instruct people on how to be successful, books that tell people how to adjust themselves psychologically were more popular, such as Danshari by Japanese writer Yamashita Hiteko," says an analyst from Beijing OpenBook.

Additionally, comic books on history were also popular, with 12 titles of the Half-an-Hour book series and eight titles of If History Is a Group of Cats series entering the top 100 bestselling nonfiction list.