A candid and detailed exploration of jobs we know are essential, but know little about. Hu Anyan has offered very honest recollections of his time spent working many different jobs, which showcase the highs and lows, and often how frustrating and difficult these jobs are due to markets, management, coworkers, and capitalism.

I found the first half much slower as it focuses on time spent in the delivery industry, but in the second half we learn more about the author and his background, and I found myself quite engaged. I think this book will resonate with many people who have either worked these types of jobs or experienced difficult situations at work. Overall, an interesting and honest look at modern work, particularly in jobs people overlook but are crucial to the economy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Astra Publishing House Books for the ARC!

I stopped at about 13% due to this being mind numbingly boring. I had just read another book, a memoir about a mailman, and wanted to love this, and compare the lives of these people, but it wasn't engaging enough to even try.

I Deliver Parcels in Beijing is canonical reading of the globalized age. Like virtually every other American, I consume goods made in and shipped from China throughout my day. While, of course, I had given cursory thought to the steps involved in making my widgets (impossible to not, given all of the supply chain chatter in the COVID and tariff eras!), I had never had a deep understanding of the day-to-day realities of working on the floor of a Chinese mega factory. Although this work is positioned as being about life in the gig economy, it also doubly resonated as an American so far removed from the origins of stuff. Anyan (and his translator) are deeply talented in translating the most mundane and demeaning labor into moving literature. Although his voice is conversational and approachable, I did occasionally find this a challenging read due to the subject matter - I’ve increasingly been reading as escapism, but this account is a cold dose of reality.

A raw, true to heart exploration of one's life. I thoroughly enjoyed every page of this book, every interaction and every throwbacks. It was more than a memoir to me, I learnt things from this book. The warmth of human companionship and the absurdity of the current society— it all reflected in this book! A gripping read!

I stumbled upon this book after reviewing the English translation of Jo Kyung-ran’s Blowfish which will soon be released by the same publisher. The (beautiful) cover and title instantly drew my attention. A few days later, I think I’ve learned a bit more about the harsh reality of work in China through the struggles of Hu Anyan. Writing this text clearly served as a time of deep retrospection for him, and I did find it engaging for the most part. It’s fascinating how he was able to do so much, all those years, despite his introvert nature. Being a resilient worker with a lot of self-restraint surely helped—still, having the courage to try different jobs in order to see where you fit is no easy thing. Unexpectedly, I also found him somewhat relatable at times.

What we can take from this memoir is universal, as the author rightly points out. Nonetheless it would probably be a more enjoyable read for those who know Beijing/Shanghai and Chinese companies better—my own knowledge ended at WeChat and Taobao. Additionally, I don’t know if it’s due to censorship in his home country or not, but it sometimes felt like Hu didn’t go far enough in his observations. It could be frustrating, the way he constantly excused everyone else’s behaviours (even if his personality might have something to do with that). I also sort of lost interest towards the last chapters, though the overview of Laetitia Pilkington’s life was a nice way to sum up his own journey.

This book offers a clear, honest look into working-class life under China’s unique capitalism. The author’s stories about tough customers and frustrating jobs reveal how dehumanizing low-skilled work can be. It’s engaging and eye-opening, though the ending feels padded with extra material. Sometimes the author’s reflections interrupt the flow, but overall it’s a rare, valuable glimpse into a world few know well.

I requested this book so I could get a glimpse of life in Beijing. And I did. It is a frankly written work, with the author sharing his thoughts and feelings, not sparing his sharing of his inadequacies in each job he went thru. There are times when his introspection took a big part of the page and distracted from the narrative of his jobs, which to me, was more interesting. I much preferred to read about his work experiences.

The book reads very smoothly. Every sentence provides more details about the author's 19 odd jobs—the environment, his coworkers, his thought processes behind every decision, another person that comes in and out of his life—but you read through it effortlessly. Every sentence and paragraph is interlinked with the clarity of a dissertation, so somehow, despite the entirely non-chronological way the story is told, you always know where each new piece lays. It's the type of Chinese book that will most likely never get translated into English but you want all your American friends to read.

I had a really good time reading something from a perspective we normally forget about when they are so essential in our daily life.

This was a fascinating insight into a world I know very little about, in a country I have never been to. The stories of tricky customers and frustrating bureaucracies are entertaining and interesting but also underscore the author’s point about how dehumanising ‘low skilled’ work can be. I read this book in two days because I found it so interesting and engaging. I gave it 4 stars not 5 only because I felt it tailed off towards the end, with the author padding the book with some of his previous writing. But apart from that, it’s a really unusual chance to spend some time visiting a life I’ve never really considered before.

I received a free advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Vent'anni di lavori, inanellati uno dopo l'altro, da una parte all'altra della Cina; un'economia instabile, in cui anche le nuove generazioni sono inconsapevoli dei loro diritti e incapaci di farli valere, anche a scapito della loro salute fisica e mentale.
L'autore scrive un'autobiografia lavorativa, sincera per quanto possibile (e lui stesso mette le mani avanti, facendo presente che la sua stessa visione può influenzare il ricordo o la percezione di eventi e luoghi), anche nel presentare le sue difficoltà psicologiche, sfociate in un periodo di autoreclusione di tre anni - anni felici, in cui si è sentito veramente libero, e in cui si è dedicato alla scrittura.
C'è da dire che in questa angosciante sequela di lavori (diciannove, e quello di corriere è solo l'ultimo - corriere, anzi, per compagnie differenti) l'autore non ha mai fatto niente che volesse fare davvero, per cui sentisse interesse o inclinazione, che abbia mai "cercato"; e nell'interessante spaccato di vita quotidiana e cultura cinesi che presenta inconsapevolmente una delle cose che mi ha colpito di più è come tutti cambino lavoro, campo, tipo di investimento in un batter d'occhi, e come si lancino a fondare piccole imprese senza avere la più pallida idea di come fare, a partire da ricerche base di mercato. Tutti si lanciano nel mondo del commercio o degli affari alla ricerca della miniera d'oro, ma con un'incoscienza che anche a me, che sono completamente ignorante in materia, lascia allibita.
E, allo stesso tempo, non esistono specializzazioni; si passa dalla redazione di una rivista al commercio di biciclette al fare il corriere all'aprire un negozio di cibo da asporto senza soluzione di continuità, non andando dove porta il mercato o l'esperienza, ma dove porta l'occasione, o l'invito di un conoscente. E allo stesso modo si cambia città, quartiere, regione, mai radicati, mai stabilizzati. Mi ha dato una sensazione di ansia simile a quella provata leggendo [book:Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century|38212124], anche se nella vita dell'autore è in un certo senso una scelta, e nel suo nomadismo non c'è la logica che sottintende quella dei nomadi lavorativi del saggio di Jessica Bruder; l'autore vaga eternamente alla ricerca di una situazione che lo soddisfi, ma senza trovarla. O scappa da situazioni lavorative che diventano troppo pesanti emotivamente e fisicamente per lui, ma solo quando è arrivato al limite.
E' da ammirare la lucidità con cui guarda indietro e riconosce le sue pecche, i suoi errori, le sue motivazioni, e tutta la strada (metaforica, eh XD) che ha fatto nel conoscere sé stesso.
Spero che trovi pace, e un angolo interiore che finalmente lo soddisfi.

Really enjoyed this look at a gig worker in Beijing.The author really brings us into vhis world and work ,.Hehasan interesting view point on being a gig worker which sounds like a labor consuming job.#NetGalley #astrabooks

What an interesting story! Definitely one that many can relate to. It made me sad at times. It definitely gets you thinking. You can really feel how difficult times were for the author. But he was a hard worker and never get up. I love how honest and humorous the author is!


Thank you so much Astra Publishing House, NetGalley and Hu Anyan for the eARC!

Rating: ✨✨✨ ✨
Publication Date: October 28 2025

#IDeliverParcelsinBeijing #NetGalley

Loved this look into a gig worker in China! Autobiographical, the author makes it through school but has no desire to compete in the job market and luckily he doesn't have family pressure to either. He takes a string of menial jobs (including a few delivering parcels in Beijing) but there are others at a convenience store, bike shop, architect's studio, anime publication...The reader is immersed in his world of living frugally, and working hard.

'I Deliver Parcels in Beijing' is an interesting, relatively fast paced memoir based on a individual's experience working as a courier and in the gig economy in China. Academically my background is in geography and I specialised in the human geography of China, including studying topics such as the gig economy and precarious livelihoods. This was a really fitting reflection on these topics, based on an individual's experience, which enriched my understanding of the lives of those working in the gig economy in China.
I received a free advanced copy of this book, but this weighs no bearing on my review.

Fun but different book. Interesting.
Thanks to author, publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book. While I got the book for free it had no bearing on the rating I gave it.

Wow, what a read! I was particularly interested in this book as I’ve lived in China and recognised several of the places mentioned. I liked the fact that I could reflect on my own life in China, as well as my interactions with couriers. I felt emotional and angry for him many times throughout the book. The author is very self-aware and honest throughout, openly discussing his physical and mental exhaustion, which led to poor mental health and social anxiety. This book doesn’t just explore his experience as a courier but also covers many other jobs that sound equally challenging. It is extremely detailed and flows well. The pace is good, although I found reading about some of his other jobs less interesting.
I am in awe of his resilience and glad he finds comfort in reading and writing. I also appreciate his overall message about life, money, and striving. I'm glad the book ends on a hopeful note. I received a free advanved copy of this book and this is my honest review.