Secret Lives: Zhou Haiming, word trafficker

We all know the ubiquitous traffic assistants who populate Shanghai's busiest intersections, whistles in mouth, directing and pointing. But what do they do when they've hung up their reflective vests in the evening? At least one of them turns into a poet. Here is the story of Zhou Haiming, traffic assistant by day, eccentric spoken word performer by night and co-founder of Kaifeng Lu, a Shanghai poetry collective. 

I dropped out of school at 16. My father gave me a library card for Shanghai Workers’ Cultural Center. I had nothing to do so I went there and read books. I read philosophy -- Confucius, Laozi and Nietzsche. I read a poem by Pushkin and it inspired me. I started to write poetry when I was 18. Back then I didn’t have a computer, I just wrote by hand. 

In the name of public safety

The neighborhood committee told me about the traffic guard job and I applied for it. My coworkers are mostly 45-55 years old but I joined them because I was out of a job. Some things about the job make me happy and some unhappy. I like that I can help people. But some things make me angry. A few days ago, a foreign woman didn’t get off her bike to cross at the crosswalk. I had to force her to get off and push her bike.

In my work bag I keep my traffic vest, book, notebook, pen and thermos. I write during my rest time and I always take a book. If I don’t want to read, I write. If I don’t want to write I look at clouds. I spend time thinking about my poems. Sometimes I read my poems for my coworkers. They’ve heard me say I’m a poet but I guess they think I’m just crazy.

Sometimes I disobey traffic laws, like when I avoid being late to work by crossing against the light. My life is a bit about going against the rules. 

Poetry at the intersection

In 2005 I met Yu Yu, an older poet who became a role model for me. If it weren’t for him there wouldn’t be me. When I started my poems were just me licking the mirror. Now they’re more confessional. I don’t know why I write poetry but I need words. When I recite my poetry, people think I’m strange, a freak. But I’m an idealist, I'd never hurt anyone but myself.

Several poets started Kaifeng Lu group together in 2008. We’re the contemporaries. We’re at the crossroads, at the intersection. 

My job and my poetry are all connected. My palm is the traffic guard and the back of my hand is my poetry. I work at an intersection and before me is a bridge. I can’t help but include traffic in my poems. My work is a poem and it doesn’t need words.

Two identities? I have five or six identities. When I’m not a poet I have another identity, that’s just me. I’m a dad too. My daughter is my most perfect poem.

As told by Rebecca Kanthor