A poet who never stops delivering

Wang later became a food delivery rider. On one occasion, a customer had provided the wrong address, forcing him to climb a total of 18 floors to complete the delivery. The delay earned him a fine from the platform, while the customer ridiculed him. His down jacket was soaked with sweat, and the cold wind cut through his clothes. On his way back, he turned his frustration and discomfort into verse: "Chase the wind out of the air, chase the knife out of the wind. Chase the fire out of the bones, chase the water out of the fire. People in a hurry have no four seasons, only one stop and the next …"

The poem, Man in a Hurry, struck a chord with thousands of online readers, bringing the rider poet weaving through the streets to public attention.

On another delivery, an agitated customer bumped into him. After regaining his composure, Wang wrote Please Forgive: "Please forgive these howling winds, forgive us for weaving through streets and squeezing into every gap, just as you forgive a flash of lightning, forgive the flashing wound in the sky."

For Wang, the moments spent waiting at traffic lights or for orders to be prepared are opportunities to write. When inspiration strikes, he quickly records his thoughts as voice notes on his phone, capturing the sights, sounds and human warmth of street life in his verses.

This year, Wang became the first food delivery rider in the history of the Lu Xun Literature Prize to win its poetry award, for his collection Flying Low.