Chinese media widely reported the story of “millionaire shipper” Chen and caused a huge controversy on social media. Chen, 26, from Jiangsu, posted a series of videos on Douyin (China’s version of TikTok) telling how he earned 1.02 million yuan (more than 3.5 billion VND) after three years of delivering food in Shanghai, the financial center of the mainland.
In a video, Chen confided that after his restaurant business failed in his hometown, he was left with a debt of 800,000 yuan. That's why he traveled to Shanghai and took a job as a food delivery man to pay off his debt.
“I worked 18 hours a day… more than 1,000 days in three years, rarely taking a vacation,” Chen said. He has paid off his debt.
Still, Chen’s video sparked a media frenzy. According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the average monthly salary for employees at private companies in the city was 5,436 yuan in 2022. While some praised Chen’s diligence, others were skeptical. Based on his story, he would need to earn an average of 28,000 yuan a month, delivering 107 orders a day for 1,000 days straight.
Another food delivery driver surnamed Yang, who has been working for Meituan in Beijing for five years, said he delivers an average of 40 to 50 orders a day, earning more than 10,000 yuan a month, and works a minimum of 12 hours a day. According to a screenshot of the Meituan leaderboard shared by Yang, his most productive day was delivering 108 orders. However, he admitted that it would be nearly impossible to maintain this pace for more than 1,000 consecutive days.
An online recruitment post by a human resources company in Shanghai shows that the salary for food delivery workers in the city ranges from 9,000 to 15,000 yuan per month, with the number of orders to be delivered each day ranging from 40 to 70.
In an interview with state media, Chen attributed his good physical condition to martial arts training from a young age, along with a bit of luck. He told local newspaper Xiaoxiang Chenbao that he wakes up at 5:50 a.m. every day and works until late at night. He barely takes a day off, even during the Lunar New Year, when his colleagues turn off their apps to celebrate the new year with their families.
The story of the self-made millionaire has inspired many people in the context of China's economic recovery not being as expected, recording mass layoffs in many industries, and the new generation of graduates facing a bleak job market.
After the youth unemployment rate hit a record 21.3% in June 2023, authorities stopped releasing the data, citing a need to review the calculation method.
The NBS recently reinstated the report and put the unemployment rate for 16-24 year olds at 14.9% in December 2023, excluding students. Overall, China's urban unemployment rate is 5.1%.
Food delivery drivers like Chen, along with other tech-based taxi and delivery drivers, make up a vast army of freelance workers that numbered more than 200 million as of the end of 2021 in China. Since early 2023, internet platforms like Meituan and Didi Chuxing have emerged from years of intense scrutiny but are now facing a challenging macroeconomic environment. Beijing has reversed course, publicly praising the role of platforms in driving growth and creating jobs.
However, compared to full-time employment, contract workers face precarious employment and lack of benefits.
"I don't want people to follow my working style because it doesn't suit everyone. I also don't want people to think that food delivery is a good job just because of the money I make," Chen confided.
(According to SCMP)
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