12 Hours in a Chinese City: A Delivery Rider’s Real Day
About this video
A full day unfolds through the eyes of a delivery rider in a Chinese city, capturing the rhythm of school pickups, street scenes, and everyday interactions. The journey offers an intimate glimpse into the warmth and hustle of urban life in China.
Video transcript
How much can a small Chinese city change in just 12 hours? I'm Gongzi and I'm a food delivery rider living alone in this small city in China. Today, from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Come ride through the city with me. Experience how an ordinary Chinese city changes in just 12 hours. Maybe this is also a side of China many people have never seen before. It's 6:30 a.m. It's 6:30 a.m. and I've just gotten out of bed. I get dressed, put on my helmet, and head out for work. An elderly man is out for his morning run. An ambulance is already on the road this early.
Someone must need emergency care. So many buses are arriving at their stops. The whole The is awake now. There's a cute little dog here. I wonder where its owner is. I ordered some chicken soup and steamed buns for $1.10. buns for $1.10. This soup is made with mung beans. Taste fresh and delicious. I really like it. It's 8:00 a.m. now. Time to go online and start accepting orders. There aren't many orders in the morning, so I need to be patient. It's a breakfast order, milk tea and a sandwich. Into the delivery box it goes and I'm on my way. I stopped by
a supermarket and bought a large bottle of water for 40 cents. It's going to be a hot day, so I need to stay hydrated and avoid heatstroke. Time to head to the customer's location. I've arrived at the destination, Shujo Museum. The museum has a designated area for food deliveries. Photo taken, order delivered. I earned 70 cents from this order. The delivery distance was longer than usual, so the pay was a little higher. I found a place to sit down and drink some water. Next to the museum is a small historical site. It tells the story of Shujo's past. Let
me show you around. My city is an ancient city. The red dot on the map shows my current location. I picked up the order and placed it in my delivery box. The customer is inside a hospital. I'm not sure if they're a patient, a doctor, or a nurse. Parking near the hospital is very difficult. difficult. So, I'll leave my scooter here for now. The entrance to the hospital is extremely crowded. I grab the coffee and head in. The customer is on the third floor. There are quite a lot of people inside the hospital. I finally found the customer. I handed over the
coffee. Another 50 cents earned. This area is way too crowded. I need to find a quieter spot to wait for my next order. It's 11:00 a.m. now. The weather is getting hotter, so it's important to keep drinking water. My next order is from this fast food restaurant. I place the food in my delivery box and head out right away. There's road construction ahead. It might slow me down a little. Good thing I wasn't riding too fast. Otherwise, there could have been a minor accident just now. I've arrived at the customer's residential complex. This is the building
where the customer lives. The customer lives on the fifth floor. I grab the food and head upstairs. It's hot outside. Don't forget to stay hydrated. It's already 12:00 p.m. Time for my lunch break. After lunch, I head to a nearby park to rest for a while. This lounge chair looks pretty nice. I might lie down here for a bit, but it's still a little too warm. This spot feels better. If there were a little more breeze, it would be perfect. This is Yanzi Tower. During the Tang Dynasty, a local official named Zhang Yin built this small tower for Guan Panpan,
Panpan, a talented and beautiful woman. The roof resembles the wings of a swallow, which is why it was named Yanzi Tower. After Zhang Yin passed away, Guan Panpan lived here alone for more than 10 years and never remarried. It's 2:00 p.m. now. This is the hottest part of the day. Water trucks are already spraying the roads to help cool the city down. Let me show you the busiest part of town. The staff are extremely busy. There are only two people working here and they can barely keep up. It's 4:00 p.m. now. I received a supermarket order. This store is
located on basement level B1. Most of their business comes from online orders. It's difficult to find if you don't know the area. I found the customer's items and placed them in my delivery box. This uphill road really tests my riding skills. I finally arrived at the customer's neighborhood. On my way back, I noticed a small street stall near the entrance. The fruits and vegetables here are probably quite cheap. The vendor likely doesn't have to pay rent to sell here. My next order is a 5-L bottle of drinking water. Many parents are picking up their
children after school. This is very common in China. Parents drop their kids off in the morning and pick them up after school. I've arrived at the customer's neighborhood. This is a very old residential area. So, the electrical wires look a bit messy. The delivery note says to leave it at the door and not knock. Photo taken. Order delivered. Another 50 cents earned. cents earned. It's 6:00 p.m. now. Many night market vendors are already setting up and preparing for the evening crowd. It's 7:00 p.m. now. The roads are getting congested again. Tonight, I'm
having liangpi, a cold noodle dish. Costs 70 cents. I'm getting ready to finish work for the day. I'm on my way home now. Out of all fruits, watermelon is still my favorite. This is the urban village where I live. It's very quiet.
