BEIJING - The number of Chinese online literature readers hit 455 million as of June 2019, increasing by nearly 23 million from December 2018 and accounting for 53 percent of the country's total online population, according to the latest statistical report on China's internet development.

Around 435 million people read works by online literary writers through mobile phones, registering an increase of 25 million from December 2018, said the report released by the China Internet Network Information Center.

With the advancement of procedure-based development of online literature, China has seen diversified business models for online literature, laying a sound foundation for the sector's sustainable development, the report noted.

The influx of young authors, including many born in the 1990s, into the sector has provided new vitality for online literary writing, while the subjects of China's online literary works are increasingly diverse, it said.

Meanwhile, the expanding overseas influence of Chinese online literature is providing new space for the sector's revenue growth, the report added.