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Hu Anyan's fascinating account of work in China is Nomadland crossed with Nickel and Dimed and received tons of praise and landed on lots of bestseller lists!
This delightfully honest and humorous account gives a face and a voice to the silent majority.
In 2023, I Deliver Parcels in Beijing became the literary sensation of the year in China. The story of a worker doing odd jobs in various anonymous mega-cities, Hu Anyan’s voice hit a nerve with a generation of young Chinese who feel at odds with an ever growing pressure to perform and succeed.
During COVID lockdowns, Hu started posting essays about his experiences online. His recollection of night shifts in a huge logistics center in the South of China went viral: nights so hot that even drinking three litres of water does not require a toilet break; colleagues going for karaoke instead of trying to get a few hours’ sleep; where are the affordable rooms with proper air-conditioning, and what is the best amount of alcohol in order to sleep but not feel drowsy a few hours later?
The work is brutal, and there is no real sense of future in sight. But Hu is armed with a deadpan sense of humor and a strong idea of self, he moves to other jobs, all the while also discovering the power of reading and writing.
A unique first-person portrait of a society we never hear from but everyone has opinions about and benefits from.
About the Author
Hu Anyan was born in Guangzhou, China, in 1979. After graduating from secondary school he joined the work-force, 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.
Author Residence: Chengdu / Mainland China