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U17 Comics

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U17 Original Comic DreamWorks
Type of site
Purely original comics website
Available inChinese
Created byBeijing April Star Network Technology Co., Ltd.
Founder(s)Zhou Jingqi, Dong Zhiling, Yu Xianghua
URLwww.u17.com （As of 2022, the original U17.com domain redirects to Bilibili Comics）
Commercialyes
Users7.3 million registered users
LaunchedOctober 15, 2009; 15 years ago (2009-10-15)
Current statusClose

U17 Original Comic DreamWorks (Chinese: 有妖气原创漫画梦工厂), commonly known as U17 Comics, was a Chinese webcomic platform founded on October 15, 2009, by Zhou Jingqi (also known as "Yaoqijun")，Dong Zhiling, and Yu Xianghua under Beijing April Star Network Technology Co., Ltd.[1][2][3] It became one of China’s most influential original comics communities, hosting tens of thousands of comics and millions of users. Its virtual mascots were YaoQi Niang and Yao Guoshou.[4] In 2015, it was acquired by Alpha Group,[5] and in 2022, it was shut down and merged into Bilibili Comics.[6]

History

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Beijing April Star Network Technology Co., Ltd.
Native name
北京四月星空网络技术有限公司Beijing April Star Network Technology Co., Ltd.
Company typePrivate
Founded30 April 2009; 16 years ago (2009-04-30)
FounderZhou Jingqi (Yaoqijun), Dong Zhiling, Yu Xianghua
HeadquartersChinaBeijingDongcheng District 2nd Floor, 77 Cultural and Creative Industry Park, No. 77, Art Museum Back Street
Area served
China
ProductsU17
Parentbilibili
Websitewww.u17.com （As of 2022, the original U17.com domain redirects to Bilibili Comics）

U17.com was founded in 2006 as a small online website for post-80s anime fans to communicate (u17.com.cn). At that time, the founder Zhou Jingqi shared his collection of domestic and foreign comics on the website. In June 2009, U17 received investment from Shanda Network and began commercial operations, and has since transformed into an original comic platform.[7] On September 15, 2009, the website began internal testing.[8] On October 15, 2009, the website was officially launched.[3]

U17 Comics attracted a group of outstanding original comic creators. According to official data from the U17 website, as of February 2012, the site had an average of 8 million daily page views, around 15 million monthly visits, over 6,000 comic titles, and more than 2,000 comic creators. By early 2013, U17 had 3 million registered users and over 20 million monthly visitors.[9] The platform claimed to update 5,000 comic chapters each month.[10] In early 2015, U17 held over 60% of the comic market share, offered around 8,000 comic titles, had more than 6 million registered users, and maintained a monthly user base of 20 to 30 million visitors.[11]

On August 11, 2015, Alpha Group announced the acquisition of 100% equity of Beijing April Star Network Technology Co., Ltd. (the parent company of U17) for 904 million RMB.[5][12][13] According to official statistics at the time, U17 had over 7.3 million registered users and 8 million active visitors, with an average of 800,000 daily page views. The platform hosted 17,000 resident comic creators and had 40,000 ongoing serialized comics, with over 100 titles considered highly popular.[12]

On November 19, 2021, according to a disclosure by Alpha Group in a Shenzhen Stock Exchange announcement, Bilibili had acquired full ownership of U17 Comics.[14]

On September 1, 2022, U17 Comics announced that it would shut down on December 31, and that its services would continue on Bilibili Comics in the future.[15]

Interaction

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Commenting System

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In 2010, U17 Comics launched a "commenting" feature that allowed readers to leave messages at any point on a comic page.[16][17][9] On December 2, 2014, the Ministry of Culture of the People's Republic of China released a blacklist of illegal and non-compliant websites, conducted investigations into top-ranking online comic platforms for violent and pornographic content. Liu Qiang, Deputy Director of the Cultural Market Department, stated: “Users can post comments anywhere within comic content, but there are no restrictions or filters on what they say. As a result, users' language, combined with vulgar imagery, has become increasingly explicit and obscene.”[18]

Dubbing lines

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On August 1, 2013, U17 Comics launched a 15-day beta test of its comic voice acting system,[19] which allowed users to add voiceovers to comics. The purpose of this feature was to enhance the reading experience and discover talented voice actors. Readers could “like” the voiceovers they enjoyed, and those with more likes would rank higher. From its launch in August to September 9, the platform recorded over 100,000 voice clips.[20]

Profit and Operation

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U17 Comics’revenue mainly came from on-site advertisements,[10] game co-publishing, and VIP premium services.[17]

Uploading Comics

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Comics on U17 could be uploaded through the website.[10] The platform operated under an open submission model, where registered users were allowed to publish their original comics. Once a chapter was uploaded and passed review, it would be officially displayed on the U17 website.[21]

U17 signed licensing agreements for comic works rather than exclusive contracts with authors.[10][22] Monthly votes (月票) served as an important source of income for creators. However, even for highly popular works such as One Hundred Thousand Bad Jokes , creators reportedly earned only around 3,000 RMB per month from votes.[16] Many professional authors would add a special page at the end of each chapter to request monthly votes.

Signed works were eligible to receive manuscript fees from U17. If a comic was later adapted into other areas such as animation, games, or film, the author could receive additional income from those developments.[10]

To encourage original content creation, U17 organized the Chasing Dreams, Seeking Demons comic competition, in which outstanding new comics could be selected for awards. Prizes for winning creators included cash awards, certificates, trophies, and opportunities to study tour to Japan, along with a potential signing opportunity with U17.[23][24] In 2014, U17 launched the Dream Incentive Program, which introduced more award categories and distributed over 1 million RMB in rewards annually.[25]

U17 implemented an SA-tier comic classification system. Works with over 20,000 favorites and updated within two months were categorized as S-tier, while those with over 5,000 favorites and similarly updated were categorized as A-tier. These comics would be promoted on the homepage in a designated SA-tier section. Unauthorized works were not displayed in this section.[26]

VIP Service

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Some comics on U17 adopted a VIP chapter system. The latest chapters were "sealed" and marked with a red "V" symbol, making them inaccessible to regular users.[note 1] However, VIP users could read these newest chapters without any restrictions.

Monthly tickets were a privilege exclusive to VIP members. Each VIP user received 13–15 monthly tickets per month (equivalent to 6.5–7.5 RMB)[note 2]. Users could vote for their favorite comics with these tickets. For each monthly ticket received, the comic creator earned 0.5 RMB, with a minimum guaranteed income of 100 RMB. Each user could vote up to 3 tickets (1.5 RMB) for the same comic per month. If a user wanted to give more tickets to a creator, they could use additional U17 Coins to do so[note 3]. Other VIP privileges included: modifying nicknames, increasing the upper limit of attention and bookshelf, personal identification (personal complaints, avatars, etc.), reading comics without ads, adding comic reading mode, paid chapter discounts, etc.

Expansion into animation, gaming, and film

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In 2014, U17 launched its mobile gaming business.[27] By the end of the same year, the platform began venturing into animation and film production.[22] U17 produced web animations and generated revenue by embedding advertisements within the animations.[22][28]

At the beginning of 2015, U17 collaborated with other companies to release the film One Hundred Thousand Bad Jokes (十万个冷笑话), which earned 119 million RMB at the box office during the New Year's holiday season.[29][22] The animation adaptation of U17’s comic School Shock (雏蜂) was produced in Japan.[22][30]

At the 7th China International Film, Television and Animation Copyright Protection and Trade Expo, Alpha Animation announced a partnership with U17 and other major companies to launch the "U Project" for Chinese animation — aiming to develop 20 films, 15 TV series, 15 web series, and 50 games over the next three years. This included works such as Die Now [zh] (端脑), Rakshasa Street(镇魂街), and School Shock (雏蜂).[31]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ The latest chapters will be censored with mosaics. Besides subscribing to VIP, users can also recommend comics to others to earn “Seal Breaker Stones” (破印石), which can be used to unlock reading access.
  2. ^ A U17 VIP membership costs 1,000 U17 Coins per month (equivalent to 10 RMB). The annual VIP membership is offered at a 25% discount, which brings the monthly cost down to 7.5 RMB.
  3. ^ U17 Coins are the platform's virtual currency, obtained through RMB top-ups at a rate of 1 RMB = 100 U17 Coins. Readers can spend 1,666 U17 Coins (equivalent to 16.66 RMB) to give an author 3 additional monthly tickets (worth 1.5 RMB) and 3 comic recommendations.

References

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  1. ^ "公司简介-有妖气原创漫画梦工厂" [Company Profile - U17 Original Comics DreamWorks]. 2021-02-25. Archived from the original on 25 February 2021. Retrieved 2025-04-09.
  2. ^ LancerComet. "现已跳转至哔哩哔哩漫画 - bilibili 正版漫画平台" [Since 2022, now jump to Bilibili comics - bilibili official comics platform]. manga.bilibili.com. Retrieved 2025-04-09.
  3. ^ a b ""有妖气"10.15正式上线，高调亮相！--游戏频道_中华网" ["U17" officially launched on October 15, making a high-profile appearance! --Game Channel_China.com]. 2016-04-16. Archived from the original on 16 April 2016. Retrieved 2025-04-09.
  4. ^ "有妖气"妖果"卡通形象征集获奖名单_游戏_腾讯网" [U17 'Yaoguo' Cartoon Character Design Contest Winners Announced – Games – Tencent]. 2019-06-11. Archived from the original on 11 June 2019. Retrieved 2025-04-09.
  5. ^ a b "奥飞动漫拟收购有妖气100%股权 作价9.04亿元_游戏_腾讯网" [Aofei Animation plans to acquire 100% equity of U17 for RMB 904 million_Games_Tencent]. 2019-10-30. Archived from the original on 30 October 2019. Retrieved 2025-04-09.
  6. ^ sina_mobile (2022-09-02). "时代的眼泪？"有妖气"将关停！代表作有《十万个冷笑话》《镇魂街》，CEO"妖气君"已离职" [Tears of the times? "U17" will be shut down! Representative works include "One Hundred Thousand Bad Jokes" and "Rakshasa Street ", CEO "YaoQijun" has resigned]. finance.sina.cn. Retrieved 2025-04-09.
  7. ^ "Admin5对话"有妖气"周靖淇：坚持做中国原创漫画 - A5站长网" [Admin5 Interview with Zhou Jingqi of 'U17': Committed to Creating Original Chinese Comics.]. 2016-03-04. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  8. ^ "有妖气15日内测 公布中国原创漫画振兴计划！--游戏频道_中华网" [U17 Launches Closed Beta on the 15th and Announces Plan to Revitalize Original Chinese Comics! — Game Channel, China.com]. 2016-10-05. Archived from the original on 5 October 2016. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  9. ^ a b "注意："有妖气"，非常有人气-钱江晚报" [Attention: 'U17' Is Extremely Popular – Qianjiang Evening News]. 2016-10-05. Archived from the original on 5 October 2016. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  10. ^ a b c d e "立体式开发造就播放量10亿动画片_财经_腾讯网" [Integrated Development Creates Animated Series with 1 Billion Views – Finance, Tencent]. 2018-07-09. Archived from the original on 9 July 2018. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  11. ^ "有妖气："尖兵"的产业链传奇-中国文化报" [U17: The Industrial Chain Legend of a 'Vanguard' – China Culture Daily]. 2016-03-04. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  12. ^ a b "奥飞动漫:收购有妖气动漫平台,扩充IP资源,强化产业链_财经_腾讯网" [Alpha Animation Acquires U17 Comics Platform to Expand IP Resources and Strengthen Its Industry Chain – Finance, Tencent]. 2017-10-01. Archived from the original on 1 October 2017. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  13. ^ "奥飞动漫联姻"有妖气"---深圳商报多媒体数字报刊平台" [Alpha Animation Forms Alliance with 'U17']. 2017-10-01. Archived from the original on 1 October 2017. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  14. ^ "哔哩哔哩(BILI.US)全资收购有妖气原创漫画平台" [Bilibili (BILI.US) Fully Acquires U17 Original Comics Platform]. 2021-11-19. Archived from the original on 19 November 2021. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  15. ^ sina_mobile (2022-09-01). "有妖气漫画将于12月31日正式关停" [U17 Comics will officially shut down on December 31]. news.sina.cn. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  16. ^ a b "二次元漫画公司"有妖气"：吐槽就是生产力_创事记_新浪科技_新浪网" [ACG Comic Company 'U17': Complaints Are Productivity – Chuangshiji – Sina Tech – Sina.com.cn]. 2019-06-04. Archived from the original on 4 June 2019. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  17. ^ a b "注意有妖气" [Attention U17]. finance.sina.com.cn. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  18. ^ "文化部公布违法违规互联网文化活动名单 腾讯百度奇虎皆有涉-中新网" [Ministry of Culture Releases List of Illegal and Non-Compliant Online Cultural Activities – Tencent, Baidu, and Qihoo Involved - China News Service]. www.chinanews.com.cn. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  19. ^ "中国"好声优"？有妖气的再度进击推出漫画配音功能 178动漫频道" [China’s ‘Top Voice Actors’? U17 Makes Another Move with New Comic Dubbing Feature]. 2016-06-01. Archived from the original on 1 June 2016. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  20. ^ "漫画在移动端能玩什么？配音漫画在中国生根_科技_腾讯网" [What Can Comics Do on Mobile? Dubbed Comics Take Root in China – Tech – Tencent News]. 2019-06-11. Archived from the original on 11 June 2019. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  21. ^ "如何发表漫画-有妖气原创漫画梦工厂" [How to Publish Comics – U17 Original Comic Dream Factory]. 2021-01-18. Archived from the original on 18 January 2021. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  22. ^ a b c d e "专访"有妖气"董志凌：专注动漫经营权|界面新闻 · JMedia" [Exclusive Interview with U17’s Dong Zhiling: Focusing on Anime IP Management | Jiemian News]. www.jiemian.com. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  23. ^ "有妖气"追梦寻妖"漫画大赛面向宇宙，无门槛、无限制招募参赛者!!!!!_动漫频道_17173.com中国游戏第一门户站" [U17's 'Dream Chasing, Monster Seeking' Comic Contest Opens to the Universe – No Thresholds, No Limits, Everyone Welcome!!!!! – Anime Channel]. 2015-08-01. Archived from the original on 1 August 2015. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  24. ^ "有妖气"追梦寻妖"漫画大赛 - 搜狗百科" [U17 'Dream Chasing, Monster Seeking' Comic Contest]. baike.sogou.com. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  25. ^ "百万奖金悬赏！2014梦想激励计划新福利上线！_国内_漫域_中国动漫综合门户" [Million-Yuan Prize! New Benefits Launched for the 2014 Dream Incentive Program!]. 2016-03-04. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  26. ^ "为世界带来爱！有妖气全新V4.0官网夏日激情_国内_漫域_中国动漫综合门户" [Bringing Love to the World! U17's Brand New V4.0 Website with Summer Passion]. 2018-05-26. Archived from the original on 26 May 2018. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  27. ^ "有妖气新版动漫游戏平台悄然上线! - 有妖气原创漫画梦工厂 | U17.COM为您提供最新最快的动漫业界动态" [U17’s New Anime & Comic Gaming Platform Quietly Launches! – U17 Original Comic Dream Factory]. 2019-06-08. Archived from the original on 8 June 2019. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  28. ^ "有妖气董志凌：好的动漫IP一定是成长和伴随|动漫_新浪新闻" [U17's Dong Zhiling: A Great Anime IP Must Involve Growth and Companionship | Anime – Sina News]. 2019-06-06. Archived from the original on 6 June 2019. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  29. ^ "独家专访｜有妖气不董：那顶路飞的帽子 -搜狐财经" [Exclusive Interview | U17’s Bu Dong: That Straw Hat of Luffy – Sohu Finance]. business.sohu.com. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  30. ^ "将国产动漫卖到日本去-经济日报" [Selling Chinese Animation to Japan – Economic Daily]. 2016-03-04. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  31. ^ "奥飞动漫亮相第七届漫博会 启动国漫U计划-中新网" [Alpha Animation Debuts at the 7th China International Comics Festival, Launches 'National Comics U Plan' – China News Service]. www.chinanews.com.cn. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
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