“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

“Hu’s honest self-analysis had turned him into an everyman for modern China. Readers from all walks of life found parallels with the relentless grind of their own working lives. They were moved by his assessment that the pursuit of freedom, away from work, was a matter of consciousness.” — Edward White, Financial Times

“[I Deliver Parcels in Beijing‘s] star is [Hu Anyan’s] voice . . . thanks to this sensitive translation of the author’s distinctive deadpan soul. ‘But, supposing work is something we are compelled to do, a concession of our personal will,’ he observes, ‘then the other parts of life—those that remain true to our desires, that we choose to pursue, in whatever form they take—might be called freedom.’ Life ‘would be all the more colorful,’ he says, if more people pursued that freedom. Hu is frank about his shortcomings, including anger intense enough to inspire a customer ‘revenge list’ (he never acted on it). He’s also funny.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Quippy and delivering some much needed humanity to the specter of delivery work.” –Sam Franzini, Our Culture

“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

“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

“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

“I am truly fascinated by this memoir, which was a huge hit in China . . . With deadpan humor and keen observations, Anyan documents his life working in China’s gig economy in a way that touched a nerve with his fellow workers who feel trapped by the constant hustle.” —Cybil Wallace, Goodreads

“With wit and disarming candor, Hu Anyan’s I Deliver Parcels in Beijing, translated by Jack Hargreaves, offers an unflinching look at life inside China’s gig economy, as seen through the eyes of a worker who has done it all, from delivery driver to convenience store clerk to bicycle salesman.” —Malka Margolies, PEN America

“I Deliver Parcels in Beijing offers a vital look at the challenges faced not just by China’s youth, but also by young people around the world contending with tight labor markets, job insecurity and social expectations. For anyone struggling to find meaning in a job they dislike, Hu’s raw experience and thoughtful deliberations provide valuable insights on how to chart a path forward.” —Luz Ding, Bloomberg News

“[Hu Anyan is] a fascinating observer of China’s change.” —Sarah Wu, The Economist

“I Deliver Parcels in Beijing is a focused, refreshing, on-the-ground account of nearly a decade of work, set against the slow simmering background of China’s economic rise . . . Hu’s minimal, hypnotic prose reveals the perverse beauty of tireless endurance in an increasingly precarious economy.” —Xiaowei R. Wang, WIRED

“Mr Hu’s straightforward prose and keen eye for detail capture the drudgery of gruelling low-wage work, and the personal toll it takes.” —The Economist

In 2023, I Deliver Parcels in Beijing became one of the literary sensations of the year in China. Since then, rights have been sold in 15 other territories and counting. The story of a worker doing odd jobs in various anonymous cities, his stories hit a nerve with a generation of young Chinese who feel at odds with an ever-growing pressure to perform and succeed.

Hu AnYan was unemployed during the COVID-19 years and started posting some of his writing online. The essay which went viral is the first in this collection: he recounts working night shifts in a huge logistics center in the South of China. Even at night, it is so hot that he never needed a toilet break despite drinking three liters of water. The work is brutal, and there is no real sense of future in sight. Both he and his coworkers make choices informed by the number of coins in their pockets: alcohol or air-con, early morning karaoke before going home, or washing clothes.

Hu AnYan goes from one odd job to another, one anonymous megalopolis to another, and candidly shares his story. How every Yuan counts when choosing which room to rent or which noodles to eat, but also how he discovers literature, music and writing as ways to escape a bleak reality. With a deadpan sense of humor carrying him through, he depicts a generation who might choose not to join the rat race of career and status, and invites us to take a close at the ‘small people’ constituting the fundamental fabric of our societies.