Book Review: I Deliver Parcels in Beijing

Anyan Hu, I Deliver Parcels in Beijing. New York: Astra House, 2025. ISBN: 9781662603044.

Genre: memoir, Chinese

Subgenre: work, labor, gig economy, logistics

Format: ARC paperback

Source: Provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review.  

 

This book is a series of essays and recollections by Hu AnYan about his experiences doing gig work. Much of the book is about his work as a delivery person for various logistics companies, but also does other jobs such as working at a logistics center for long night shift hours in extreme heat and barely tolerable conditions. Hu is pretty mobile, so when conditions in a job become too much to bear, he moves to a new gig job. Along the way, he begins to write about his experiences, and those writings form the basis of this book. 

Hu presents a look at how the gig economy works via his experiences. He describes working conditions, his coworkers, bosses, and clients who receive the packages he delivers. These jobs are often capricious, with some degree of corruption, exploitation, and/or favoritism. Hu even describes idiosyncrasies of workers,  bosses, and customers. There are some humorous moments, but not that many to be honest. It often is hard and grinding work where job quotas and number of packages delivered, and delivered without customer complaints by the way, are more important than workers' health and job conditions. This is one reason why job turnover in these jobs is so high. 

Much like the jobs Hu describes, this book can be a small grind to read. Much of the narrative is fairly quotidian and ordinary. Some parts are more interesting than others, but for the most part it is very routine. After a while it feels like you read the same over and over. One thing the narrative does well is humanize the author and other gig workers. Granted, he works in China, but his work is similar to gig workers in the United States such as Amazon warehouse workers and drivers. 

Overall, the book is OK. Interesting in parts, an amusing moment here or there, but it was just not that engaging for me. Still if you want a look at the gig economy, especially in China, this is a good option. Hu's experience  mirrors that of gig workers in other parts of the world. 

In terms of reader appeal, if you've read books like Fulfillment (link to my review) and Mailman (review link)  you may want to read this one. Readers interested in books about workers, labor, and the economy may find it interesting. For some readers this book can provide insight into how exactly their packages get to their homes. 

My library ordered it; our campus has some interest in labor and social justice issues, so academic libraries with similar interests may want to add it to their collections. For public libraries, this may go well for memoirs as well as reading about work and the supply chain economy. 

2.5 out of 5 stars.