I deliver parcels in Beijing
Edition
First edition.
Publication Information
New York : Astra House, [2025]
Physical Description
xii, 319 pages ; 22 cm
Uniform Title
Summary
"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."--
Notes
"Originally published as Wo zai Beijing song kuaidi by Shanghai Insight Media Co., Ltd."--title page verso.
Additional subtitle from Astra Publishing House online catalog.
Contents
- My year of night shifts in a logistics warehouse
- I deliver parcels in Beijing
- Odd jobs in Shanghai
- Other jobs I've had
- Other sides of life