Redian新闻
>
Chinese ‘Harry Potter’ Fans All Ears for First Audiobook Release

Chinese ‘Harry Potter’ Fans All Ears for First Audiobook Release

社会

Popular audiobook platform Ximalaya is offering all seven volumes of the globally acclaimed fantasy novel.    

First came the books, then the movies, and now Chinese fans are being presented with an audio version of the much loved “Harry Potter” series.

Domestic audio-streaming heavyweight Ximalaya is offering all seven volumes of the fantasy fiction series, with “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” the first to be released on June 21, the platform announced Tuesday. The official English audiobooks will be released simultaneously.

Written by British author J. K. Rowling, the first three “Harry Potter” novels were published between 1997 and 2000. The Chinese translations of the books were released in 2000 and ended up selling more than 5 million copies and amassing 77 million yuan ($11.5 million) in gross sales in the following two years, a record since the country’s founding in 1949.

A promotional poster for the audio version of “Harry Potter” series. From Weibo

The novels have since gathered a massive fan following, including among government officials. In 2020, the education ministry even listed the series as recommended reading for all Chinese primary and middle school students.

Similarly, the “Harry Potter” movies have also become box-office favorites in China. The re-release of “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” in August 2020 made over 100 million yuan in the opening weekend, providing a much-needed boost to the country’s pandemic-afflicted movie business.

News of the upcoming release of the “Harry Potter” audiobooks, which will be narrated by veteran voice actor Jiang Guangtao, has already excited fans.

A teacher and audiobook aficionado surnamed Liu told Sixth Tone she was thrilled to find out that the Chinese language version was being released in an audio format. She has been listening to audiobooks for the past four years, mostly when commuting and in her spare time.

“The novel is highly imaginative and now I’ve got the chance to overcome the language barrier and enjoy its charm,” Liu said.

China is the world’s second largest audiobook market after the United States, accounting for around 30% of the market share at around $10 billion in 2020, according to global consultancy firm Deloitte. The growth has attracted major tech players, including Tencent, ByteDance, and NetEase, to invest in audio companies and podcasts.

The “Harry Potter” audiobooks mark Ximalaya’s attempt to gain an edge in the fiercely competitive market by offering high-quality content. In 2018, the Tencent-backed company announced a three-year funding plan to purchase copyrights and support content creators with a total investment of 3 billion yuan.

“Similar to videos, content will be the decisive factor in the audio market,” Zhang Yi, CEO of market consultancy iMedia, told domestic outlet National Business Daily in 2019. “It’s inevitable that we will witness a trend of homogenization among all the platforms, but the content is what the users attach their loyalty to.”

Editor: Bibek Bhandari.

(Header image: A promotional poster for the audio version of “Harry Potter” series. From Weibo)


Download the new Sixth Tone app at the App Store or Google Play

APK file for Android:

https://image4.sixthtone.com/pkg/sixthtone.apk
(Copy URL and open in browser)


                                                       

微信扫码关注该文公众号作者

戳这里提交新闻线索和高质量文章给我们。
相关阅读
Eventually, China’s Borders Will Reopen. Will Foreigners Return?Hurun China Metaverse Companies with the Greatest Potential 2022Amazon Turns the Page on Its Chinese Kindle BookstoreChinese Cities Loosen Housing Policies for Three-Child Families俄乌停战的可能性:NATO停援助, 老毛子撤军, 恢复战前局面, 行吗?Xu Can: The Baker’s Son Who Became China’s Boxing ‘Monster’西雅图周末不无聊|周末去摘草莓啦!就在Marysville Strawberry Festival!China to Review School Textbooks After Questionable IllustrationDisabled Man in Chinese Countryside Inspires Disillusioned YouthHow Foreign Students Cheat China’s College Admissions System雨水Chinese Provinces Seek Fertility Treatments to Boost Birth Rate骨懂圈的宝贝8-春色荡漾Recovering the Forgotten History of China’s ConstitutionChina Restricts Citizens From ‘Non-Essential’ Foreign TravelShanghai Offers Hassle-Free ‘Hukou’ to City’s PostgraduatesChinese Children Will Now Learn to Farm and Cook at SchoolIs Studying Overseas Losing Its Allure for Chinese Students?另类peer review?Shenzhen Funeral Home Requires COVID Test Result for DeadNew Rules for Schools in Shanghai, Added Pressure for StudentsChinese Soccer’s Financial Woes Deepen as Another Club FoldsChina Has a Food Waste Problem. Can More Communal Dining Help?JNBY Removes ‘Spooky’ Children’s Clothing After Outcry, Again春天Chinese Experts Refute ‘Wrong’ Claims on Domestic COVID VaccinesBattered Chinese Crypto Fans Still Plan to BuyChinese Online Vendors Help Users Hide Their IP Address Location【5FN 开卡奖励!】Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless 信用卡‘Hot, Hot, Hot’: China Hit with Blistering Heat WaveThe Questionable ‘Chinese-ness’ of Chinese Sci-FiHomeless Delivery Workers Are Surviving on Free TakeoutWith Bittersweet Memories, Students Leave Shanghai in DrovesBitter Lessons From a Chinese Education ReformerNo Tattoos for Minors, Chinese Authorities Say
logo
联系我们隐私协议©2024 redian.news
Redian新闻
Redian.news刊载任何文章,不代表同意其说法或描述,仅为提供更多信息,也不构成任何建议。文章信息的合法性及真实性由其作者负责,与Redian.news及其运营公司无关。欢迎投稿,如发现稿件侵权,或作者不愿在本网发表文章,请版权拥有者通知本网处理。