What does it feel like to drive a taxi in the Magic City?
Today, Shanghai has around 40,000 taxis and over 70,000 taxi drivers, serving more than 4 billion people annually and covering over 5 billion kilometers each year, equivalent to circling the Earth at least 120,000 times.
In the recently published book 'Driving a Taxi in Shanghai,' author Hei Tao shares various stories of passengers and drivers from his own experience driving a taxi in Shanghai, offering a glimpse into the daily lives and industry conditions of taxi drivers. The book also showcases the urban landscape, historical snippets of Shanghai, and is praised as a non-fiction work akin to a "Taxi Version of 'Midnight Diner'," brimming with human stories that are both intriguing and comforting.
"The Cover Image of 'Driving a Taxi in Shanghai' Provided by Guangdong People's Publishing House · Universal Gravity
Hei Tao started driving a taxi in Shanghai by chance. Before that, he had worked as a magazine editor, run a maternity store, worked as a designated driver, and managed a maternity store. In 2018, Hei Tao came from Henan to Shanghai, embarking on several years of connection with the metropolis in the mobile space of a taxi, which he described as a "mobile space for survival."
In Hei Tao's eyes, Shanghai is like a moving taxi, a stage where countless ordinary people take turns to play the leading role, interpreting a variety of life stories within a limited space. While making a living by driving, he also experiences writing. He vividly demonstrates that the best seat for a writer in the real world is the driver's seat of a taxi. He has real stories to tell.
Chen Xiaoming, a professor of Chinese literature at Peking University, said: "If the most valuable quality of literature lies in its true-to-life nature, then 'Driving a Taxi in Shanghai' is the most authentic representation of life itself. Whether it's the moment when the morning star rises, the night intoxicated by the spring breeze, or the sultry afternoon, there are always different people and different lives in the taxi. There is the most naked humanity at any time, as well as the elusive life experiences. Reading this book, one can suddenly understand so many aspects of life and feel that there are so many different people, perhaps never feeling lonely again."
Li Xiuwen, Chairman of the Writers Association of Hubei Province, believes: "Hei Tao's 'Driving a Taxi in Shanghai' is grounded and present, not only providing a taxi driver's perspective on the diverse scenes of the city but also reviving the traditional role of a 'storyteller' in the sense of Benjamin. By narrating his street observations in a 'radio broadcast on paper' manner, he brings distant stories to distant people. This broader literary form constitutes another hidden yet real existence of literature, providing new possibilities for an increasingly professional and specialized literary creation."
