'Flying low is still flying': Food delivery rider wins China's top literary prize

BEIJING: “Should there be a fifth season on earth, it would surely be the delivery riders’ spring.”The line closes Low Flight, the title poem in a collection by Chinese food delivery rider Wang Jibing that has won one of China’s highest literary honours, the Lu Xun Literary Prize.Writing between deliveries in eastern Jiangsu province, the 56-year-old found inspiration in the people he encountered and the life he lived on the road, turning the everyday struggles and aspirations of delivery workers into poetry.For Low Flight, Wang interviewed over 140 fellow delivery riders and collected more than 60 responses via questionnaires, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said. “With simple yet sincere language, the collection offers a vivid portrait of the inner world of delivery workers, revealing resilience and hope in ordinary lives,” it added.Established in 1996 and founded in memory of renowned Chinese novelist Lu Xun, the Lu Xun Literary Prize is one of China's top literary prizes.Awarded by the China Writers Association, this year’s winners were announced on Jul 15. Low Flight received the top nod in the poetry category. Low Flight, a poetry collection by Chinese food delivery rider Wang Jibing that was published in 2024, won the prestigious Lu Xun Literary Prize in the poetry category. (Photo: WeChat/Rongcheng Literature and Arts) The title poem opens as such: “Who says spreading your wings means you have to fly high? Flying low is still flying.” “People in a hurry, squeeze 61 minutes from an hour,” reads another line from the title poem, capturing the relentless pace of delivery riders who race against tight deadlines.Around 84 million people are engaged in what Chinese authorities term new forms of employment, such as delivery workers and ride-hailing drivers.DELIVERING MEALS, PENNING POETRYBorn to a rural family in Xuzhou, a prefecture-level city in Jiangsu, Wang dropped out of school as a teenager due to financial hardship - taking on various odd jobs, from construction to waste scavenging, according to Chinese media reports.He became a food delivery rider in 2019, fulfilling orders around Kunshan city, the reports said.But his love for reading persisted, and he has written more than 6,000 poems over the years, inspired by his deliveries and life.Published in 2024, Low Flight is Wang’s third published poetry collection.His first, published in 2023, was titled Man in a Hurry: Poems of a Food Delivery Rider - and his second collection, titled I Clumsily Love This World, was also published that same year.“I hope that after reading, people will show (delivery) riders more understanding and patience, and that there will be fewer conflicts,” Wang told Chinese media outlets following his win.He added that he would continue his work as a delivery rider for another three years before turning 60."Financially, I don't need to do this job to make a living, but I love the vibe of the work and it keeps me fit," Wang told the state-run Global Times."I want to live a down-to-earth life, and the award will never change who I am. I will keep writing and sharing ordinary people's life stories through literature."Wang’s work has found fame online, especially among young Chinese social media users.His literary win has also drawn praise. “From delivering food to being recognised for this heartfelt poetry,” read a comment on microblogging site Weibo.“A very well-deserved win,” said another user.An English translation of Low Flight is set to be published by US non-profit publishing house Chax Press this December.Wang’s win comes amid a burgeoning movement in China - of blue-collar workers making their mark in the literary world.I Deliver Parcels in Beijing, a 2023 memoir by former courier Hu Anyan, became a runaway global bestseller. An English translation was published in 2025.Other celebrated writers include Chen Nianxi, a former miner, whose poetry and nonfiction stories document the lives of Chinese workers and Yu Xiuhua, a former farmer whose candid poems dissect subjects such as love, desire, and living with cerebral palsy.