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Illumine Lingao

Illumine Lingao, also known as Morning Star of Lingao, is a Chinese chuanyue novel co-written by Xiao Feng (萧峰) under the pen name "Boaster". The novel was originally published online in 2009 on Qidian Chinese Network. The first print volume was published by China Radio, Film & TV Press in 2017. An English translation was published online in late 2025 at illuminelingao.com.

Plot
In the story, more than 500 people from early-21st-century China intentionally travel back in time via wormhole to the Chongzhen-era late Ming dynasty in 1628 AD. Settling in Lingao County on the island of Hainan, the time travelers set out to establish an industrialized society and change the course of history. == Publication history ==
Publication history
The novel originates from an online BBS discussion on Sonicbbs started in 2006, about how time travelers might survive in the late Ming period and history by using modern technologies. The novel first began publishing on Qidian. == Responses and influence ==
Responses and influence
Starting in the 2010s, China's Internet literature studies became increasingly interested in Illumine Lingao for its collective and collaborative style of writing, and for its detailed descriptions of the proto-industrialized "new world" built by the time travelers. The novel is praised as the "encyclopedia of time travel" among readers. Some critics also call it "a unique phenomenon of contemporary Chinese literature". An article about the work appeared in Wired magazine. == References ==
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