I Deliver Parcels in Beijing: Chinese Literary Sensation Reaches U.S.
Hu Anyan, a former courier, wrote a bestselling memoir about the demanding job of delivering packages. At 46, Hu has worked 19 different jobs in six Chinese cities, including selling bicycles, managing a clothing store, baking, creating 3D architectural renderings, night shifts at a logistics warehouse, and finally courier work.
In his book, I Deliver Parcels in Beijing, Hu recounts these diverse experiences with casual language, vivid details, and humor. His stories reveal harsh managers, angry customers, and navigating vast residential areas.
Published in 2023, the book quickly became a bestseller in China. It resonated with readers who identified with themes like economic instability, limited social mobility, unemployment, and unfulfilling jobs. Millions of couriers like Hu power China’s highly efficient e-commerce sector, which often regards individual workers as expendable.
Before the English translation by Jack Hargreaves was released, Hu spoke to Rest of World about his writing journey, the future of courier work amid automation, and his hopes for American readers.
Writing Journey
Hu began writing around 2009, during a difficult period running a women's clothing store in Nanjing.
“I was running a women’s clothing store in Nanjing, a painful job.”
His avid reading and life experiences inspired him to document the struggles and realities faced by ordinary workers in China.
Summary: Hu Anyan’s memoir unveils life behind China's courier industry, blending personal stories and social critique to highlight economic challenges and the human cost of rapid modernization.
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