An overview of China's webnovel author rankings

Wuxiaworld's Chinese licensing manager, Lucas, has been sharing some knowledge about the ranking systems for Chinese authors. It's quite interesting, so we've decided to turn it into a post!

Lucas spent many years working at one of the top Chinese publishers and has a massive amount of industry knowledge. So if there are any topics you'd like to see as future posts, please let us know!

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Chinese literature enthusiasts are passionate about ranking authors. However, judging the quality of literary works is highly subjective. As the saying goes, “There is no first in literature, no second in martial arts,” （文无第一，武无第二）readers often argue endlessly over which author’s works are better. To address this, the Chinese came up with a compromise: grouping authors of similar skill and style, whose works are hard to compare, and giving them a collective title. For example, in ancient China, there were titles like the “Eight Great Prose Masters of the Tang and Song” (eight renowned prose writers from the Tang and Song dynasties) and the “Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove” (seven literary figures from the late Wei and early Jin periods).

In the era of online literature, this phenomenon persists. Reader communities and media often select a group of highly influential authors and give them a title. For instance, ChengGua (www.chenggua.com) has chosen the “Twelve Gods” and the “Five Supreme”. 

However, the most long-standing and influential are five fantasy authors, spontaneously selected by readers, known as the “Central Plains Five Whites”.

As the name suggests, the “Central Plains Five Whites” refers to five top-tier authors in China who write “Xiaobai-style novels” (works that are easy to read, straightforward, highly entertaining, and have massive readership). They are:

  • Chen Dong (辰东)

  • Tang Jia San Shao (唐家三少)

  • I Eat Tomatoes (我吃西红柿)

  • Heavenly Silkworm Potato (天蚕土豆)

  • Divine Dreamwalker (梦入神机)

Works from all of them are available on Wuxiaworld!

Although Dreamwalker (梦入神机) has retired from writing for many years, his name is still frequently mentioned by readers. He loved traditional martial arts, and many of his works center around martial arts. Today, having stepped away from writing, he runs a martial arts school in his hometown. His work on WW is Sage Monarch.

The other four authors remain actively writing.

As the industry developed, major platforms introduced author ranking systems to incentivize writers.

1. Qidian (起点)

Qidian was one of the first platforms and introduced its author ranking system in 2013, which is still in use today. After signing with Qidian, authors start as LV1. Their rank increases with annual earnings, up to LV5, which requires over 150,000 RMB in annual royalties.

Additionally, Qidian holds an annual “Twelve Kings”（十二天王） selection. Among authors LV5 and below, they choose the twelve best-performing and most influential authors of the year across various genres. While this title is not an official rank, it generally precedes promotion to “Great God”（大神）. For example, the author of Unintended Immortality 《我本无意成仙》, Golden Jasmine Flower (金色茉莉花), received the Twelve Heavenly Kings title in 2023 and was promoted to Great God author in 2024.

Great God and Platinum are ranks above LV5, requiring evaluation. Each year in July–August, Qidian selects new Great God and Platinum authors. Platinum status not only serves as a title but also offers higher revenue share and more promotional resources.

As of July 2025, Qidian has 91 active Platinum authors.  Below is a list of works by Qidian Platinum authors that are available on our site:

2. Zongheng & Qimao（纵横&七猫)

Zongheng and Qimao are currently controlled by the same company. In 2024, both platforms introduced their own ranking systems: authors rank from 1-star to 7-star, with promotion based on earnings. Above this are Master and Grandmaster authors. In terms of influence, Master authors are comparable to Qidian’s God-level, and Grandmaster authors correspond to Platinum.

Currently, Zongheng and Qimao have 33 Master authors and five Grandmaster authors, and works from all five Grandmaster authors are available on our site.

3. Fanqie (番茄小说)

Fanqie introduced its author ranking system in 2023. Authors rank from LV1–LV5, with promotions based on royalties. Above this are Gold Fanqie (金番) and Hall of Fame (殿堂) authors, which are selected based on influence and IP value rather than just income.

Currently, Fanqie has 39 Gold Fanqie authors and four Hall of Fame authors, including 杀虫队队员, the author of Ten Day Ultimatum 《十日终焉》 and 三九音域, the author of Deicide Learning In A Psychiatric Hospital 《斩神》

This concludes the overview of author ranking systems on major Chinese online novel platforms. If you’d like to learn more about the Chinese online novel industry, feel free to leave us a comment!

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