Book: I Deliver Parcels in Beijing

[elusivek]

I Deliver Parcels In Beijing
Hu Anyan (author), Jack Hargreaves (translator)
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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.

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This is the book that the new book club I’m in has chosen by number of votes. There is also another book from the list that I may read over Christmas.

This was a bit of a palate cleanser, a somewhat monologue biography type of thing. The book is basically 5 pieces of writing. Timeline-wise it was a little disjointed, because each piece was written at a different time. The last chapter sort of is a conclusion piece that wraps up and kind of sorts out the timeline of the previous 4 pieces, and also kind of explains how, he seemed to have had a million jobs, despite being just 4 years older than I am.

This has sort of made me think about what I would describe as an idyllic life and a good work-life balance, without the common “BS” older generation people would think of… I consider myself part oft he older generation. There’s no real freedom, just the road to attaining freedom. I don’t think I’d really feel comfortable with total freedom. I have to have some kind of work going on. And right on spot about needing a safety net, a personal boundary. Will I ever have the courage to try the kind of 6-months working, 6-months going whatever? I know it’s never.

Anyway, this was a nice read. Glad to have had the chance to read this.

Comments

[gilda_elise]

The book sounds very much like Nickel and Dimed, by Barbara Ehrenreich. The problem was been around for a long time.