Lei Haiwei, a 37-year-old fast food courier (快递员) from Hunan Province, got first place in a televised Chinese poetry knowledge competition. He beat other competitors, including a master's degree (硕士学位) graduate from Peking University, in the third season of the Chinese Poetry Conference on CCTV on April4,2018.
"My interest in ancient poems began as early as I was six years old. My father hoped I would grow up to be a man who keeps the mountains, rivers, lakes and seas in mind," the courier said.
In 2002, the younger Lei found a job in Shanghai and began to read books related to ancient poems at bookstores or libraries in his spare time, since he didn't make much money. The young man also developed a habit of reciting poems he liked and writing them down after returning home.
Though Lei worked as a fast food courier in Hangzhou later, his love for poems never died. Even on his busiest work days, he used any available moment to recite poems. "For example, I am used to reciting poems when I wait for food at restaurants, and traffic lights on my way to delivering food. Reciting poems not only enriches my knowledge, but also makes my job less boring. As for my future plan, I will stick to reading and reciting poems," Lei said.
