Food delivery rider Wang Jibing has won the Lu Xun Literary Prize for Low Flight, a poetry collection shaped by China’s gig economy.
Food delivery rider Wang Jibing has won the Lu Xun Literary Prize for his poetry collection Low Flight, a book shaped by the daily strain and routines of China’s gig economy. The collection includes poems he first jotted down on scraps of paper between deliveries, turning ordinary workday moments into literary recognition at one of the country’s highest honors.
The Lu Xun Literary Prize is named for Lu Xun, the writer widely regarded as a founder of modern Chinese literature. Wang, who is 56, drew national attention after building a following on social media for his poems and essays. His rise reflects a broader trend in China, where blue-collar workers are increasingly being recognized for writing that captures the pressures of low-paid, physically demanding work.
Wang told Global Times on July 15, when the award was announced, that he felt intensely nervous before the result was revealed. He said the attention surrounding the prize had also brought him considerable mental pressure. The report said he had no plans to leave delivery work and intended to keep working until he turns 60. He added that he does not need the job to support himself, but values the work’s atmosphere and the way it keeps him fit.
His path to the prize was shaped by hardship. Born in Jiangsu province, Wang left school as a teenager because of financial trouble at home. He went on to take a string of jobs, including construction, scavenging waste, and selling goods at a street stall, before becoming a delivery rider around 2019. Even so, reading remained part of his life, and over the past decade he has been posting his own poems and essays online.
“Food delivery rider Wang Jibing has won the Lu Xun Literary Prize for Low Flight, a poetry collection shaped by China’s gig economy.”
Wang’s best-known poem, Man in a Hurry, spread widely online in 2022. He wrote it after a difficult delivery in 2019, when a customer entered the wrong address and he spent hours sorting out the mistake. The popularity of that poem led to his first poetry collection in 2023, Man in a Hurry: Poems of a Food Delivery Rider. Low Flight, published in 2024, was built from interviews and surveys Wang conducted with around 200 delivery riders.
His award also places him inside a larger cultural moment. In recent years, other working people in China have drawn public interest through writing that speaks to migrant labor, courier life, and the strain of making a living in the country’s massive gig economy. One example is I Deliver Parcels in Beijing, a 2023 memoir by former courier Hu Anyan, which became a major bestseller and later appeared in English. Another was I am Fan Yusu, an autobiographical essay by a migrant worker that spread widely online in 2017 and drew such heavy attention that Fan temporarily left home because of the media pressure.
Wang’s win matters beyond China’s literary circles because it shows how working-class voices can break through in a system often defined by speed, pressure, and anonymity. For American readers, it is a reminder that the stories of ordinary workers can carry cultural weight far beyond the job itself — and that literature still has the power to turn hard daily labor into something lasting.
Frequently asked questions
What did Wang Jibing win the Lu Xun Literary Prize for?
He won for his poetry collection Low Flight. The book reflects the strain and routines of China’s gig economy and includes poems he first wrote during deliveries.
How did Wang Jibing become well known before this award?
He built a following on social media for his poems and essays. His best-known poem, Man in a Hurry, spread widely online in 2022.
What is Wang Jibing’s background before becoming a delivery rider?
He left school as a teenager because of financial trouble at home in Jiangsu province. Before delivery work, he held jobs including construction, scavenging waste, and selling goods at a street stall.
Will Wang Jibing stop working as a delivery rider after winning the prize?
No. He said he has no plans to leave delivery work and intends to keep working until he turns 60.
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