Food delivery rider wins one of China's top literary prizes with poems written between orders

Wang Jibing, a 56-year-old food delivery rider, has been honored with one of China's most prestigious literary awards, the ninth Lu Xun Literary Prize. He won for his third poetry collection, titled "Low Flight," which was released before the award's announcement in July. The China Writers Association presented 35 winning works across seven categories, including the poetry collection, spanning the period between 2022 and 2025.

This marks the first time a food delivery rider has received the prestigious award, which has been bestowed every four years since the sixth edition in 1996. Previous winners include renowned authors such as Shi Tiesheng, Bi Feiyu, and Chi Li. Wang conducted extensive research for the collection, interviewing over 140 delivery riders face-to-face and surveying another 60 through questionnaires, reaching approximately 200 couriers in total.

He aimed to encourage readers to leave positive reviews after reading his poems, stating that he wanted to contribute to a better reputation for delivery riders. Wang paid CNY50 (approximately US$7) for each completed survey and approached the rest on the streets behind shopping malls, asking if they had a minute to spare. He was delivering food the day before the award results were announced and plans to continue his job as a delivery rider, even if he decides to stop writing full-time.

He emphasized that writing should not bring professional pressure and that he continues to write because it brings him happiness. Wang's journey to this achievement is remarkable; born into a poor farming family in Pizhou, Jiangsu Province, he left school at 15 and worked various jobs before turning to writing. He faced significant personal challenges, including severe malnutrition while writing his first novel, which led to hospitalization and advice from his father to stop writing.

Undeterred, he persevered and resumed writing in 2017, eventually joining the Xuzhou writers association and registering as a delivery rider at the age of 50. His poem "People Who Rush Time" gained widespread attention after going viral on Weibo in 2022. "Low Flight" is set to be published in the U.S. in December and has facilitated Wang's trip to Italy, where he connected with a doctoral researcher who has since become friends with several of the riders he interviewed.