Delivering love: He is on the way

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CGTN

Dou Liguo, 42, has worked as a courier for a decade, but after hard work and dedication, he is now the district manager of an express company in Beijing.

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Every day, he rides his tricycle through the jungle of skyscrapers in Beijing. Under the baking sun or in the pouring rain, he always delivers. From the basement to the executive suite, he has met every kind of white collar worker sitting in the air-conditioned offices.

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As the representative for over a million couriers in China, he once helped ring the opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange, witnessing Alibaba Group's historic IPO firsthand.

However, Dou's most fulfilling experiences have happened away from the bright lights of New York. He's always believed that people are "successful" because of reading, and reading may change one's fate.

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"I grew up in a poor family, which was why I dropped out in middle school and began to work," said Dou. Before his current job, he worked as a miner, sailor, security guard, cook and waiter. He even sold box lunch and put up fliers. "But the reason I came to Beijing definitely has something to do with reading.”

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While his job as a courier was stable, he began his own business. He set up a company that focuses on donating books to children in rural areas. After starting with just a couple of books, he has now established several rural libraries.

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The collected books are hand-picked by Dou. "Books are important, because they can affect people's value. We ought to take it seriously,” he said.

Dou has never felt like he is doing something great. He only sees himself as a "gateway" to charity work, which will encourage more people to participate. As Dou says: "You could be like 'He is just a courier. If he can do this, how could I not? I could do it better!'” He believes that people encouraging one another will bring harmony to the society.

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"The sweetest life for me is like this: to keep working as a courier and donating books to the rural children. An ordinary life with my wife and my child is the best.”

The story is one in "The 1.3 Billion" series exploring the diverse lives that make up China.