I Deliver Parcels in Beijing

In 2023, Hu Anyan’s I Deliver Parcels in Beijing became a literary sensation in China, striking a chord with a generation facing relentless pressure to work, perform, and succeed.

Writing about his experiences in short-term jobs across China, Hu offers an unflinching portrait of exhausting, precarious work—from brutal night shifts in a southern logistics center to delivering parcels in Beijing and searching for affordable housing. Yet his deadpan humor and fierce sense of self keep him moving forward.

Along the way, reading and writing become sources of strength and companionship. Honest, darkly funny, and deeply human, I Deliver Parcels in Beijing captures one man’s struggle against the dehumanizing forces of modern work—and the liberating power of telling his story.