Manhuadao

Manhuadao is a digital comics and literature platform operated by Shanghai Yuanju Network Technology Co., Ltd. The parent company, Yuanju Network, was founded in Shanghai in 2012 by CEO Yu Yueyun. Yu, a graduate of the University of Wales with 15 years of experience in the internet industry, previously held executive roles at several internet companies. He established Yuanju Network to enter the mobile reading market, initially launching the novel-reading app 'Zhui Shu Shen Qi' (追书神器).

The company expanded its portfolio into the comics sector with the launch of the Manhuadao (漫画岛) app in 2013. Manhuadao provides users with a large library of Chinese comics, known as manhua. By 2014, both of the company's core products, Zhui Shu Shen Qi and Manhuadao, had surpassed one million users each. The platform operates on a model that includes both licensed content and over 200 original, self-created webtoons. In 2015, the company transitioned to a paid reading model to protect intellectual property rights. By 2017, Manhuadao had grown to over 80 million users with more than 1.5 million daily active users.

Shanghai Yuanju Network Technology manages a suite of mobile applications in the digital reading space, including 'Fan Tuan Zhui Shu' and 'Tian Gua Xiao Shuo' for novels. The company has also expanded internationally with English-language apps like AnyStories, Readink, and NovelFlow, which focus on genres such as romance, fantasy, and werewolf fiction, often including audiobook and short video drama features. The parent company's investors include prominent firms such as Volcanics Ventures and Nanshan Capital.

Keywords: Manhuadao, Chinese comics, manhua, digital comics, webtoons, mobile reading, Shanghai Yuanju Network, Yu Yueyun, Zhui Shu Shen Qi, online literature, AnyStories, Readink, Asian comics, digital entertainment, intellectual property