Delivery rider Wang Jibing wins Lu Xun Literary Prize for Low Flight

Wang Jibing, a 56-year-old food delivery rider, has been awarded the Lu Xun Literary Prize for his poetry collection Low Flight, the prize announcement was reported on 15 July by Global Times. The collection, inspired by interviews and surveys with about 200 delivery riders, draws on poems and essays Wang published on social media and in his 2023 book Man in a Hurry: Poems of a Food Delivery Rider.

Born in Jiangsu province, Wang left school as a teenager for financial reasons and worked in a variety of jobs before becoming a delivery rider around 2019. He gained online attention in 2022 when his poem Man in a Hurry went viral after describing a difficult delivery experience prompted by a wrong address.

Wang told Global Times that he felt nervous when the award was announced and that media attention has created mental pressure. He said he does not intend to stop working as a delivery rider before age 60, noting he enjoys the work and its routine; the report also noted that the Lu Xun Prize’s monetary award is not publicly disclosed, and a 2014 figure cited in other sources was 100,000 yuan.

Liberal News Analysis: What Does This Development Mean?

The award highlights a rising visibility of blue-collar authors in China’s literary scene, as shown by Wang’s social media traction, his 2023 poetry collection and earlier viral works such as Man in a Hurry. Low Flight’s content, based on interviews and surveys with roughly 200 delivery riders, underlines the collection’s grounding in the lived experiences of gig-economy workers.

Other recent works by delivery and migrant workers cited in media coverage include Hu Anyan’s 2023 memoir I Deliver Parcels in Beijing and Fan Yusu’s 2017 autobiographical essay, which previously attracted wide public attention.

Quick Glance: What You Need to Know

• Wang Jibing, 56, won the Lu Xun Literary Prize for Low Flight, reported on 15 July.
• Low Flight is based on interviews and surveys with about 200 delivery riders.
• Wang rose to prominence after his 2022 poem Man in a Hurry went viral and published a 2023 collection, Man in a Hurry: Poems of a Food Delivery Rider.