The dreams and aspirations of a deliveryman

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People in China have gotten used to being able to shop online at all times of the year, thanks to the country's fast and powerful logistics system. Most logistics firms have pledged to continue service during the Chinese Spring Festival. And that's keeping deliverymen very, very busy.

“I start at eight in the morning, then we sort out all the packages before sending them out. I work 10 hours a day, seven days a week. There is no rest,” said Guo Beibei, a delivery professional in Shanghai.

Guo is always on the move. It’s not an easy job running up and down apartment buildings in the older part of Shanghai where he works, a place where elevators are few. "I deliver about 150 packages a day. You get used to it, you know. Many people there know me, and sometimes they come down to pick up their packages, so it makes it easier,” said Guo.

He is one of China’s two million delivery professionals. He worked extra hard in January, and when he goes back to his hometown in Henan Province for the Chinese New Year, he wants to have a fat paycheck in hand. "I've been very efficient. It's been very cold in Shanghai this year; it definitely affects me. But I'm in a good mood because I know I get to go home,” said Guo.

Guo has been working very hard ahead of the Chinese New Year. /CGTN Photo

According to reports, some 80 percent of delivery professionals in first-tier cities are migrant workers. Like many of his colleagues, Guo lives in a metal container, a place he comes back to at around 9:30 p.m. Media stories have long portrayed someone like him as the struggling underprivileged people of society. But according to him, he’s not.

"My salary has been rising for the past two years. The company takes care of housing and meals for me, so I'm quite satisfied,” said Guo.

As one of the huge number of delivery professionals, Guo is the product of China’s e-commerce sector, which has boomed in the past decade. The new economy has created employment opportunities for people like Guo in big cities. Every month, he is able to send 7,000 yuan, or 1,100 US dollars, to his parents.

"I'm the only child in the family. My life goal right now is to make more money and make my parents' lives better,” said Guo.

The public sees mostly the difficult part of his life. But Guo says what he sees is more about the aspirations for a better future.

For more behind the scenes of this story, check out Yang Chengxi's reporter notes below: