Think about the erstwhile rampant content piracy that has just begun to subside but is still troubling local authors. In the past few years, occasional high-profile legal tussles have broken out when writers took Internet and tech companies to court, for lifting their content without permission. Now technology provides writers a daily opportunity to educate readers and potential perpetrators that they should pay for online content.

And it is heartening to see that some most tipped authors have tried to keep a cool head amid a flurry of donations.

Mao Li, a writer with a microblog following of about 100, 000, including many who leave tips on her account, thinks an article could be of "low" quality if it gets too much tipping. "A writer should avoid catering to audiences too much," she said in an interview with the Chinese media. "I'd feel I've failed if all responses from my readers are like, 'I cannot agree more with what you say'."