“Who’s this buff woman?” a visitor at Comicup 32 (CP32) — a popular Chinese anime convention — asked, pointing at the drawing on a banner outside one of the booths.

The drawing was part of the convention’s first-ever booth dedicated to nüwu, or “female-led, no-CP” — “CP” is short for “couple” — literature. Nüwu is a niche category of web fiction that explores the personal growth and platonic relationships of female protagonists, eschewing romance or male love interests. Despite the nüwu booth’s location — tucked away in a corner of the 300,000-square-meter convention center in Hangzhou, capital of the eastern Zhejiang province, this May — it drew a steady stream of visitors, suggesting interest in a narrative that departs from mainstream love-driven female stories.

Over the past two decades, Comicup has evolved from a modest gathering organized by the manga club at Shanghai’s Fudan University in 2007 into a sprawling convention attracting nearly 300,000 attendees and over 10,000 booths. Though the convention scene has long been shaped by its predominantly female fan base, it has been overwhelmingly defined by genres such as otome and other works centered around male characters.

By contrast, nüwu has — until the past few years — remained marginal. The genre has existed in China for more than a decade, with the popular web novel website Jinjiang Literature City officially designating nüwu as a category in 2015. Nüwu’s rise is often attributed to readers’ reported preference for fewer love stories. Yet, the genre frequently contends with platform algorithm suppression and limited promotional visibility, resulting in output far below that of other genres. 

The initiative to bring nüwu to CP32 was born late last year, according to the booth’s core organizers, Xiaoyan and Mushu — pseudonyms — both of whom are also self-published authors. “We were online friends who participated in an online relay to create nüwu pieces,” Mushu said, referring to a common practice among web novel fans in which they call for themed works in advance, then release them periodically to build hype. “We hit it off at the end of last year, and because we wanted to do more meaningful things for nüwu, we started planning.”

But their initial promotional posts online drew considerable ridicule. “Some criticism came from the fan convention community, who accused us of not understanding fiction and illustration,” Xiaoyan said. “Others argued we were corrupting the nüwu space by promoting and directing attention toward otaku culture, because they believe the convention itself is male-centric,” she said, using the Japan-originating term commonly used to describe an — often male — obsessive hobbyist.

Despite considerable skepticism, Xiaoyan said she was determined to set up a nüwu booth. “I think there’s a lot of meaning in doing this — whether online or offline, we should at least try,” she said. “And I feel that after getting to know each other online and bonding over time, everyone really wants to meet each other in person.” 

As Comicup draws a largely female crowd, nüwu has huge potential to reach new readers, Xiang Qingming, another organizer and creator of the CP32 nüwu booth, told Sixth Tone using their pen name. “They may read all sorts of things, but if we can add just one nüwu novel to their list, that’s already a win,” she said. 

Drawing a crowd

The response at CP32 exceeded the organizers’ expectations, with numerous nüwu fans stopping by their booth. To claim a creator-made sticker at the booth, visitors were asked to name characters from the original works — a common practice at anime conventions to ensure merchandise related to creators’ works, such as stickers, goes to genuine fans. One person named 10 characters in a row. “As a creator, I thought: if one day someone remembered every single character I’d created, that would be wonderful,” Xiang said. 

Mushu recalled how she had recommended two nüwu titles by other authors to attendees at the event. The very next day, she got feedback — they genuinely loved the stories. 

In nüwu, language is tweaked to fight implicit gender biases — for example, swapping “Heavenly God,” laotianye, to “Heavenly Granny,” laotiannai. Authors also create female-centered realities, such as the “Menstruation Festival” in a popular web novel by the author Weiwowujiu — a pen name — where periods are openly celebrated instead of considered taboo. 

“Many people had no idea that female-focused fiction could be written like this,” Mushu said. “But once we showed them, they realized that women’s lives could be portrayed in a whole new light.” 

Visitor Shen Fangqiwu, a 24-year-old Shanghai-based medical device marketing professional, observed that while the overall attendee demographic at CP32 was predominantly female, the nüwu section was noticeably smaller and tucked away in a less prominent area. “You had to weave through rows of aisles — all you saw along the way were works centered around male characters and lalang by fans with no basis in the original canon,” she said, using the Chinese term for “shipping,” or the wish for fictional characters to form a relationship.

Those interested in exploring nüwu content at the event had to contact booth operators in advance via social media and join group chats to find the exact locations of related booths, Shen added.

The overall atmosphere, she said, resembled a tightly knit, niche community. “The reality is that nüwu is objectively obscure, but the booth organizers’ efforts are a big step toward expanding its reach.”

Wu, a 24-year-old nüwu creator from the eastern Anhui province, views the debut of nüwu at CP32 as a positive development. “If someone passes by, takes an interest, and discovers a new world, that’s a good thing,” she told Sixth Tone, adding that fanfiction is essential for increasing nüwu’s visibility and attracting new audiences.

“Compared with other genres, nüwu works are scarce, partly due to platform restrictions and partly because of limited promotion,” Wu said, requesting use of only her surname. “Many people who naturally gravitate toward female-centered stories may not even know these works exist, so fan creation is a vital channel for outreach.”

At the same time, Wu advocates for reasoned debate around nüwu. While she opposes the sexualization and objectification of female characters, she also disapproves of those who attempt to censor works via online content reporting mechanisms, believing all parties need to express their views and be more open to criticism. She mentioned a time early in her career, when a reader told her that one of her stories had “too much male presence.” Believing it was necessary for the plot, Wu took the time to explain her reasoning. “That kind of exchange is far more productive than condemnation,” she said.

Recounting her entry into nüwu, Wu recalled stumbling upon popular web novel author Ai Lan’s manifesto post on microblogging platform Weibo in 2022. In it, the author said she would stop writing novels with male protagonists and apologized for past “misogynistic” themes and “beautified violence” in her books, promising to write stories focusing on female independence and equality. 

“After reading it, it felt like my world had been turned upside down,” Wu said. “It was because of her that I felt the urge to create.”

Reading Ai Lan’s subsequent female-centered works, she was particularly struck by a chapter in the web novel “Liao Liao,” a gender-swapped dystopia in which men must wear feminine attire such as dresses to survive. She later recommended it to a friend struggling with anxiety about her appearance. For her friend, the work proved impactful too.

The story Wu is currently working on follows a suicidal woman who is transported to another world. There, she relives the lives of those who died in tragic circumstances, before ultimately rediscovering her will to live — an attempt, Wu says, to rekindle her own passion for life.

Looking ahead, the organizers are planning to attend a convention in Hangzhou this August dedicated exclusively to romance-free literature and anime, aiming to recruit over a dozen booths and new participants — some of whom have already signed up.

For those perhaps reluctant to bring their love for nüwu offline, Xiaoyan had a message: “If you’re struggling alone, you can come to us. The journey’s easier with a group cheering you on.”

Additional reporting: Li Rongxuan; editor: Marianne Gunnarsson.

(Header image: Visuals from VectorStock and iStock/VCG, reedited by Sixth Tone)