In the late Qing Dynasty, with the rise of modern newspaper and publishing industry, the modern system of contribution fees and royalties was established in China. On the one hand, this system was adapted to the traditional concept in China in its early period, which emphasized that writing are for conveying truth, not for money. On the other hand, it also created a new relationship between writing and money, which slowly but deeply impacted writers' attitudes towards ＂selling＂ their works, their way of life, and their literary creation. First, this paper distinguishes the modern contribution fee system and the traditional system of remuneration for writers (Runbi, 潤筆) in ancient time, and presents four parts comprising the modern system of contribution fees to show how literary works were commercialized. The four parts are: ＂call for works in public＂, ＂contribute works ＂, ＂publish＂, and ＂pay＂. Second, this paper examines Shen Bao, the first newspaper to pay for literary works in China, and the transition from ＂writers pay to publish their works＂ to ＂writers get paid by publishers＂. Examination reveals that the modern system of contribution fees was not only based on the traditional pursuit of fame, but also related to business competition in the newspaper industry, as well as abolishment of the Chinese examination system. Finally, the paper explores how system of contribution fees influenced the family economic situation of writers after the traditional examination system was abolished, and concludes that the system afforded a livelihood to a great number of writers in early 20th century, and transformed their economic life