English Danmei translations are spread across fan translation sites, official publishers, and novel directories. The main free platforms include NovelUpdates (a directory linking to all translation groups), Chrysanthemum Garden (the largest fan translation hub), LotusScribe (human-edited fan translations of 70+ novels), Foxaholic, Exiled Rebels Scanlations, and Dummy Novels. For officially licensed novels, Seven Seas Entertainment and Rosmei are the primary English publishers.
This guide covers every major platform where you can read Chinese BL webnovels in English as of 2026, including how each one works, what they specialize in, and what to expect from the reading experience.
Most Danmei novels originate as web fiction serialized on Chinese platforms like Jinjiang Literature City (JJWXC). Fan translators pick up unlicensed titles and translate them into English, publishing chapters on their own websites. When a novel becomes popular enough, official publishers like Seven Seas Entertainment may license it for a professional English print and ebook release. At that point, fan translations are often taken down to respect the official license.
The standard way most English readers discover and follow Danmei is through NovelUpdates, which acts as a central directory linking to whichever site hosts each novel's translation.
NovelUpdates is the essential starting point for any Danmei reader. It doesn't host translations itself — instead, it tracks every chapter release from hundreds of translation groups and links directly to the translator's website. You can search by genre, tags (such as "Boys' Love," "Cultivation," or "Transmigration"), completion status, and rating. Creating a free account lets you build a reading list and set up notifications for new chapters.
How to use it: Search a novel title, go to the series page, scroll to the chapter list, and click the chapter link. It redirects you to the translation site hosting that chapter.
These sites host English translations of unlicensed Chinese webnovels. Translation quality and site experience vary, so this section covers what each one does well.
The largest and longest-running dedicated Danmei fan translation hub. Chrysanthemum Garden hosts dozens of active translation projects across multiple translators and editors. They specialize in BL novels spanning cultivation, modern romance, quick transmigration, and horror/survival genres. Some chapters require passwords (available through their Discord community) to protect against content scraping.
Best for: Quick transmigration, infinite flow/horror, and popular ongoing titles.
Example titles hosted: Don't Pick Up Boyfriends From the Trash Bin, Global Examination, Paintings of Terror.
LotusScribe hosts 70+ translated Danmei and BL novels with daily chapter updates. Translations are human-edited rather than machine-translated, focusing on readability and consistent terminology. The site covers a wide range of genres including school life, historical, cultivation, modern romance, and supernatural. LotusScribe uses a token system where recent chapters may require tokens to unlock, while earlier chapters are free to read.
Best for: School life, historical, and modern Danmei. Active daily updates across many novels simultaneously.
Example titles hosted: Lie Huo Jiao Chou, SAYE (Run Freely), Nine Heavens, Death Progress Bar, What Lies Within, Deep Sea Drifter Diary.
A large multi-genre translation platform hosting Chinese BL, Korean BL, and some non-BL webnovels. Foxaholic is particularly strong for "system" novels, transmigration stories, and modern entertainment industry romances. The site has a clean reading interface and updates frequently.
Best for: Quick transmigration, system novels, modern campus/esports.
Example titles hosted: Quickly Wear the Face of the Devil, Guide on How to Fail at Online Dating.
One of the oldest Danmei translation groups in the English fandom. Exiled Rebels is famous for having originally translated Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation (Mo Dao Zu Shi) before it was officially licensed. They continue to host several classic and ongoing BL translations.
Best for: Classic Danmei, historical, and supernatural titles.
Example titles hosted: The Legendary Master's Wife, Sha Po Lang.
A smaller but well-regarded group that translates a mix of BL and BG (Boy-Girl) Chinese webnovels. They're known for picking up niche titles that aren't available on larger platforms and maintaining a professional site layout.
Best for: Transmigration, system novels, and modern romance.
Example titles hosted: After the Disabled God of War Became My Concubine, Transmigrating Into the Heartthrob's Cannon Fodder Childhood Friend.
A specialized translation group known for translating technically difficult works by popular authors like Priest and Fei Tian Ye Xiang. Their translations often include extensive footnotes explaining cultural references, historical terms, and martial arts terminology. Considered one of the highest-quality fan translation groups in the community.
Best for: Historical fantasy, Priest novels, and Fei Tian Ye Xiang works.
Example titles hosted: Dinghai Fusheng Records, Joyful Reunion.
A newer translation site focused on horror, infinite flow (survival game), and psychological thriller Danmei. Their site has a clean reading experience without intrusive ads.
Best for: Horror, infinite flow, and puzzle-solving novels.
Many translators work independently and publish on personal WordPress blogs or Google Docs. These are harder to find by browsing — the best way to locate them is through NovelUpdates, which indexes their chapter links. Notable examples include KK Translates, Chichilations (the primary translator for Priest's Faraway Wanderers), and Mourning Crow Translations.
When a Danmei novel is officially licensed in English, the fan translation is typically taken down and replaced by a professional edition available for purchase. These are the highest-quality translations and the best way to support the original authors.
The largest English publisher of Danmei novels. Seven Seas has published the complete English editions of Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation (5 volumes), Heaven Official's Blessing (8 volumes), The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System (4 volumes), The Husky and His White Cat Shizun, Thousand Autumns, and many more. Available as paperback, ebook, and audiobook through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and local bookstores.
A Singapore-based publisher specializing in Danmei and other Asian fiction. Rosmei publishes English editions of novels like Nan Chan, The Earth is Online, and Global Examination. Particularly useful for readers in Southeast Asia due to local retail distribution (available at Kinokuniya and other regional bookstores).
An emerging publisher focused on modern and contemporary Danmei including esports and school life titles. They publish novels like I Can Do It and A Certain Someone.
Carrd Masterlists — Fan-curated single-page websites listing Danmei recommendations and translation links for specific subgenres or themes. These are frequently shared on Bluesky, X, Tumblr, and Reddit.
Reddit — The r/DanmeiNovels subreddit (59,000+ members) is the most active English-language community for Danmei discussion and recommendations. r/CDrama is useful for finding the source novels behind live-action adaptations.
Danmei Dreams — danmeidreams.com — A fan blog with guides, reviews, and a helpful newsletter covering new releases and translation updates.
Last updated: March 2026. This page is updated regularly as new translations and platforms become available.