Food Delivery Rider Wins China's Lu Xun Literary Prize

A collection of poems, some scribbled on slips of paper between food deliveries, has won Wang Jibing one of China’s top literary honours.

The volume, titled Low Flight, examines the daily challenges of delivery riders and has secured the Lu Xun Literary Prize, named after a writer considered the father of modern Chinese literature.

Wang, aged 56, began his career as a delivery rider in 2019 after leaving school early because of financial hardship. He started sharing poetry and essays on social media, gaining a following before one of his works, "Man in a Hurry", went viral in 2022.

The poems in Low Flight were crafted from interviews and surveys with around 200 riders, giving a voice to the largely unseen workforce of China’s massive gig economy. One line, "Who says spreading your wings means flying high? Flying low is also flying," captures the conceptual thrust of the collection.

Following his win, Wang said he intends to continue working until he turns 60, adding that the award will not alter his daily routine or personal identity. He noted that while the monetary award was undisclosed, it is estimated at roughly 100,000 yuan ($14,800).

This achievement mirrors a broader trend of blue‑collar workers gaining literary recognition—examples include Hu Anyan’s bestseller I Deliver Parcels in Beijing and Fan Yusu’s autobiographical essay (I am Fan Yusu).