"Generally speaking, female youth literature is more a concept than real literature. Compared to traditional female literature, which is rich in plot and literary significance, female youth literature has a long way to go to be labeled as real literature," Zhang Yiwu, professor of literature at Peking University, told the Global Times.

"Female literature has improved greatly in the past years especially in the 1990s, represented by Tie Ning and Wang Anyi and other leading women writers and still exerts a profound influence," Zhang added, "but the times have changed and many readers, especially teenage girls, are fond of reading material with a strong flavor of modern times, just like fast food."