In brief
Wang Jibing, a 56‑year‑old food delivery rider from Jiangsu, won the Lu Xun Literary Prize after publishing a collection of poems about the life of delivery workers. The award, named after a celebrated modern Chinese writer, highlights the growing influence of blue‑collar voices in China’s literary scene. Despite the prestige, Wang insists he will keep riding until he turns 60, valuing the physical activity and community it provides. His victory follows other high‑profile works by migrant workers, underscoring a cultural shift toward inclusion of everyday experiences in literature. The monetary prize remains undisclosed, but the recognition itself signals a new era for labor‑based storytelling.
When a 56‑year‑old food delivery rider from Jiangsu Province took a humble poem from a rider’s notebook and it trended on social media, few could imagine that the piece would later win China's most prestigious literary award.
Wang Jibing, who began delivering food in 2019 after years of construction and odd jobs, started posting his observations, poems, and essays online. One of his 2022 poems, “Man in a Hurry,” captured the frustrations of a delivery he made after an address mistake, and the piece went viral, sparking a wave of attention to his voice.
In 2024 he published a collection called Low Flight that drew from interviews with around 200 fellow riders, detailing their daily struggles and simple joys. The book earned him the Lu Xun Literary Prize, a national accolade named after the pioneering writer who critiqued China's social realities.
“I felt nervous and relieved when the award was announced, but the media focus has put a lot of pressure on me,” Wang said to the state media outlet Global Times. He clarified that winning will not change his vocation; he plans to continue riding until he is sixty, valuing the job for its fitness and the sense of community.
And Wang's success is part of a broader trend: literary works by former couriers, migrant workers, and other blue‑collar individuals have flooded China's cultural space. Books such as I' Deliver Parcels by Hu Anyan and the autobiographical essay I am Fan Yusu have become bestsellers, while online memes from characters in Lu Xun's novels continue to resonate on the internet.
The Lu Xun Prize is known for its financial incentive, though the exact amount has never been released. Historically it has been 100,000 yuan, but the center has remained silent about the current figure, keeping the focus on literary merit rather than monetary reward.
