I Deliver Parcels in Beijing: On Making a Living

Hu Anyan

ISBN 10: 0241733820 / ISBN 13: 9780241733820

Published by Penguin Books Ltd, United Kingdom, London, 2025

A witty and humane account of one man, multiple jobs and what it means to liveA Book of the Year in the Guardian, Sunday Times, Economist and the Financial TimesShortlisted for the Baifang Schell Book Prize: Award for Outstanding Non-FictionHu AnYan has held nineteen different jobs since he graduated. Hes been a convenience store clerk, a bicycle salesman, a security guard and a delivery driver (among many other things). Every time the work gets punishing or the bosses too bossy, he moves on, from city to city, carrying with him nothing but his copies of Chekhov and Carver. This is his story.A runaway bestseller in China, I Deliver Parcels in Beijing is about what its like to try and make a living and stay sane in the gig economy. From the pecking order on a parcel-sorting factory floor to the perfect alcohol dose to get some daylight shut-eye before a punishing night shift, from the Kafkaesque bureaucracy of the hiring departments to the ideal layout of a delivery route, Hu illuminates the hidden lives behind the roles that keep our world going. But he also shows how, through the liberating power of literature, he finds solace, and even freedom in his existence.Quietly radical, brimming with humanity and humour, this book asks: what does work really mean? What should it mean? And do any of us really know how to live? The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged. Seller Inventory # GOR014634160

Synopsis:

A witty and humane account of one man, multiple jobs and what it means to live

A Book of the Year in the Guardian, Sunday Times, Economist and the Financial Times

Shortlisted for the Baifang Schell Book Prize: Award for Outstanding Non-Fiction

Hu AnYan has held nineteen different jobs since he graduated. He’s been a convenience store clerk, a bicycle salesman, a security guard and a delivery driver (among many other things). Every time the work gets punishing or the bosses too bossy, he moves on, from city to city, carrying with him nothing but his copies of Chekhov and Carver. This is his story.

A runaway bestseller in China, I Deliver Parcels in Beijing is about what it’s like to try and make a living – and stay sane – in the gig economy. From the pecking order on a parcel-sorting factory floor to the perfect alcohol dose to get some daylight shut-eye before a punishing night shift, from the Kafkaesque bureaucracy of the hiring departments to the ideal layout of a delivery route, Hu illuminates the hidden lives behind the roles that keep our world going. But he also shows how, through the liberating power of literature, he finds solace, and even freedom in his existence.

Quietly radical, brimming with humanity and humour, this book asks: what does work really mean? What should it mean? And do any of us really know how to live?

About the Author:

Hu Anyan (Author)
Hu Anyan was born in Guangzhou, China, in 1979. After graduating from secondary school he joined the workforce, moving between cities and odd jobs to make a living. In 2020, a blog post based on his experience as a delivery driver in Beijing went viral, leading to the publication of his first book, I Deliver Parcels in Beijing (Insight Media, 2023). It has since become a major national bestseller in China and will be translated into fifteen languages.

Jack Hargreaves (Translator)
Jack Hargreaves is a Chinese-English translator. He has translated work by such writers as Li Juan, Lu Xiaoyu, Chai Jing, Shen Dacheng, Gu Qian, Wen Zhen and Chen Chuncheng, among others.

Bibliographic Details

Title: I Deliver Parcels in Beijing: On Making a ...
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd, United Kingdom, London
Publication Date: 2025
Binding: Paperback
Condition: Very Good