Overview

An Economist Best Book of 2025 A Financial Times Best Book of 2025 A Sunday Times Best Book of 2025 ""Hu Anyan’s I Deliver Parcels in Beijing, translated by Jack Hargreaves, offers an unvarnished dispatch from the front lines of the gig economy...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 20+ 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.

Full Product Details

9781662603044

Table of Contents

Reviews

""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 ""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)

""One of China’s most remarkable new literary talents."" —Edward White, Financial Times

""One of China’s most remarkable new literary talents."" —Edward White, Financial Times “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)

Author Information

Hu AnYan was born in Guangzhou, China, in 1979. After graduating from secondary school he joined the workforce, moving around between places and odd jobs to make a living: hotel waiter, convenience store clerk, courier, night shift worker and many more. In 2009 he began to post some writing online, and became a full-time writer after an essay went viral during a COVID lockdown.

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