Writers attend the Global Authors Roundtable Conference of the 2nd Shanghai International Online Literature Week in east China's Shanghai, Dec. 6, 2023. (China Literature Limited/Handout via Xinhua)

HAIKOU, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- The scale of China's digital publishing industry reached 1.618 trillion yuan (about 228.89 billion U.S. dollars) in 2023, up 19.08 percent year on year, according to an annual report.

The report, issued by the Chinese Academy of Press and Publication (CAPP), was released during the 14th China International Digital Publishing Expo that kicked off Saturday in the city of Haikou, capital of south China's Hainan Province.

By the end of 2023, the number of Chinese online literature readers reached a record high of 537 million. The overseas market scale for Chinese online literature exceeded 4 billion yuan, covering more than 200 countries and regions.

Traditional culture has become a significant theme element in various Chinese online culture forms, including literature, animation and games, noted Wei Yushan, head of CAPP, at the expo.