Question Are Chinese web novels canon?

Discussion in 'Novel General' started by XueHua, Nov 23, 2021.

  1. XueHua

    XueHua Member

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    I may sound stupid but please explain me how Chinese web novels and light novels work. Does China even have light novels like Japan does? I got confused becuz in Japan, they consider Web Novels as non-canon or a draft as light novel versions are more polished and official. So what about Chinese ones? Do they get book versions? Or do they have editors for web novels as well?
     
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  2. elengee

    elengee Daoist Ninefaps

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    No and unlikely. Machine translation is canon.
    (unless by editors you mean censors.)
     
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  3. canaria23

    canaria23 『  』

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    extremely rare is one that gets book publication in the xianxia genre. short love stories though get all love from the printing press.
     
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  4. strayCat0

    strayCat0 What are you doing right now?

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    They do sometimes get book versions. Though I have never read them, but I assume it's almost a carbon copy of webnovel one. Just with proper or say, professional editors.
     
    Last edited: Nov 23, 2021
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  5. XueHua

    XueHua Member

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    Okay thank you!!

    I see! I also think it is a carbon copy with maybe a better grammar or words. It is just I was confused when Japanese Light Novels sometimes differ from the web novels of the same story. Haha

    Thank you!!!
     
  6. Dahna

    Dahna (-, – )…zzzZZZ

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    Chinese web novels can be either canon or daft. It's canon if it has no physical version, and it's daft if they print it.

    Mostly the novel version will fix some bugs like typos, grammar (rarely), or even plots, and the author may also add some extra chapters.
    To publish a novel from a web novel, it must satisfy at least 4 conditions.
    1. The website author has signed a contract with agrees;
    2. The novel's content doesn't violate any law.
    3. The author wants to print it;
    4. Fans want a physical copy.
    In most cases, 1st and 2nd can be easy to satisfy, and 3rd or 4th decides if the novel can be printed or not. That's why many CN web novels have no novel version.

    It doesn't mean the web version is in bad shape btw. Because readers will help find all types of bugs, even plot holes, and for the author who has a contract with the website, an appointed editor will help them fix some typos and grammar. Also, many CN web novel authors are very active in fixing bugs after receiving notice from readers. That's why you may encounter few versions of 1 chapter or even a whole new novel.
     
  7. Ai chan

    Ai chan Queen of Yuri, Devourer of Traps, Thrusted Witch

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    They don't have the webnovel -> light novel system like the Japanese and Korean ones. They do have their own version of Japanese light novel, called 'light fiction' 輕小說 (not light novel). Light fiction basically refers to any fast food fiction, whether it be in web novel form or traditionally published form.

    For Japanese books, 'light novel' implies a measure of quality control, where the webnovels have none. 輕小說 does not differentiate between web novel or published novel, it's the shallowness and target audience that defines it. So for Chinese light fiction, many web novels never become paperback and those that did become paperback have minimal editing that you'd probably be fine just reading the web novels.

    So to answer your question, are chinese web novels canon? The answer depends entirely on the intentions of the author or the publisher. If they say that they webnovel is canon, then it is canon. If they say that the published book is canon, then the published is canon. If they say both are canon, then both are canon. There are also cases where only the webnovel is canon according to the author, as the published book was written by someone else after Qidian screwed over the original author and he lost the copyright of his own story.
     
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