I Deliver Parcels in Beijing
One Man's Quest to Speak the Truth about the Global Gig Economy
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"Hu Anyan’s I Deliver Parcels in Beijing, translated by Jack Hargreaves, offers an unvarnished dispatch from the front lines of the gig economy, written by a guy who’s held nearly every low-wage, low-reward job on the market (delivery driver, security guard, convenience store clerk, bicycle salesman). The Cinderella bit of it is that now he can add a new title: internationally best-selling author." —Leah Greenblatt, The New York Times Book Review
A runaway bestseller in China, sold in 17+ countries, this delightfully honest and humorous account gives a face and voice to the future of work—as if Nomadland met Nickel and Dimed.
In 2023, I Deliver Parcels in Beijing became the literary sensation of the year in China. Hu Anyan’s story, about short-term jobs in various anonymous megacities, hit a nerve with a generation of young people who feel at odds with an ever-growing pressure to perform and succeed.
Hu started posting essays about his experiences online during COVID lockdowns. His recollection of night shifts in a huge logistics center in the south of China went viral: his nights were so hot that he could drink three liters of water without taking a toilet break; his days were spent searching for affordable rooms with proper air-conditioning; and his few moments of leisure were consumed by calculations of the amount of alcohol needed to sleep but not feel drowsy a few hours later.
Hu Anyan tells us about brutal work, where there is no real future in sight. But Hu is armed with deadpan humor and a strong idea of self. He moves on when he feels stuck—from logistics in the south, to parcel delivery in Beijing, to other impossible jobs. Along the way, he turns to reading and writing for strength and companionship.
I Deliver Parcels in Beijing is an honest and startling first-person portrait of Hu Anyan's struggle against the dehumanizing nature of our contemporary global work system—and his discovery of the power of sharing a story.
Book Details
Format:
eBook
Price:
15.99 USD / 22.99 CAD
Published: 10/28/2025
ISBN: 9781662603051
Imprint:
Astra House
Page Count: 336
Trim Size: 5-1/2 x 8-1/4
"Hypnotic . . . I Deliver Parcels in Beijing is quietly revolutionary simply because it treats the minutiae of work itself as important. The bureaucratic nightmare of trying to get a company to onboard a new employee; the propensity of electronic delivery bikes to break down; the discomfort of delivering packages in the freezing cold, but having to wear fingerless gloves to type on a phone screen—that these can be the topic of a book is almost revelatory."
—Becca Rothfeld, Washington Post
"Hu Anyan’s I Deliver Parcels in Beijing, translated by Jack Hargreaves, offers an unvarnished dispatch from the front lines of the gig economy, written by a guy who’s held nearly every low-wage, low-reward job on the market (delivery driver, security guard, convenience store clerk, bicycle salesman). The Cinderella bit of it is that now he can add a new title: internationally best-selling author."
—Leah Greenblatt, The New York Times Book Review
"One of China’s most remarkable new literary talents."
—Edward White, Financial Times
"Like all good writers, Hu Anyan lets the particular illuminate the universal . . . [I Deliver Parcels in Beijing] is an insightful, relatable, and often humorous account of working life in twenty-first-century China."
—Benjamin Y. Fong, Jacobin
"I Deliver Parcels in Beijing is, among other things, a story about social class: about the unacknowledged and often exploited low-paid labor force that has powered the economic boom in China—and, given globalization, the world."
—Rebecca Liu, The Guardian
"Witty and resonant . . . Anyan's blunt, unvarnished voice, skillfully rendered by Hargreaves, infuses his musings with raw intimacy, and his quietly profound self-analysis lends depth to the proceedings. Readers who've struggled with work/life balance or the bewildering hustle of gig work will find plenty to chew on."
—Publishers Weekly
"[A] memorable memoir."
—Tobias Carroll, InsideHook
"Quippy and delivering some much needed humanity to the specter of delivery work."
—Sam Franzini, Our Culture
"[I Deliver Parcels in Beijing's] star is [Hu Anyan's] voice . . . thanks to this sensitive translation of the author’s distinctive deadpan soul . . . He’s also funny."
—Kirkus Reviews
"This is not a judgment of laziness or unwillingness to work but a social commentary on human dignity and perseverance in an industry of capitalism and corporate greed."
—Gerard Villegas, Auntie’s Bookstore in Spokane, WA
"Fascinating insight into the gig economy in China. Delivering packages in a small area in a large city does not sound fun. Although, I would love to drive a trike.”
—Audrey Huang, Belmont Books in Belmont, MA
"With the great acuity of his personal perspective, Hu Anyan dissects every layer of the life of the worker, and how the system gradually alienates individuals by erasing their differences. He sharply analyzes his own status, slowly reclaiming his identity, and ultimately recovers his right to self-determination."
—The Beijing Review of Books
"This is not an attempt to spy on the ‘low classes,’ nor is it the uplifting story of a delivery driver writing his way to fame . . . this is about a person constantly questioning what it is that makes him human."
—People magazine (人物杂志)