A new documentary about delivery riders in China has struck a nerve.
The Life of China’s Food Delivery Riders in 2026 (2026中国外卖员生存报告) was produced by LifeLab (三联生活实验室), which is a lifestyle magazine published by LifeWeek.
It was released in mid-April. The documentary has since been censored in China, but it’s available on YouTube — and is well worth a watch if you’re looking to brush up on your Beijing dialect (link at the end of the newsletter for paid subscribers, and don’t forget to tune into our YouTube channel where we’ll be discussing this story next week!).
It follows riders across three Beijing neighbourhoods: the migrant village of Yuxinzhuang (于辛庄村) a northern suburb near the Sixth Ring Road, the central business district, and Wanliu (万柳), one of the capital’s wealthiest enclaves. The contrast between these worlds, where riders live and where they deliver to, runs through the film.
China now has more than 13 million delivery riders. Their pay per order has fallen from over 10 yuan a few years ago, to between 3 and 5 yuan today. Yet the number of riders has multiplied several times during the same period so now there’s more workers than ever chasing lower-paid orders.
One rider sums up the squeeze:
“Algorithms are getting smarter. But why are we working longer hours, and making less money?
Dozens, even hundreds of riders are all fighting for one order.
Whether you get it or not all comes down to if you’re favoured by the system.”
算法越来越聪明，为什么我们的工作时间反而越来越长，赚钱越来越难？几十号人、上百人在抢一单，就看系统爱不爱你。
More than half of delivery riders in Beijing are young people from rural areas around the capital, mostly from villages in neighbouring Hebei (河北) province. Many tend to move to places like Yuxinzhuang, which has become known as a “delivery village” (外卖村).
For the vast majority, working as a delivery rider is not a choice.
It’s the only option left:
“For us young people from the countryside, there aren’t many ways out.”
“I can’t even make a living, so why should I worry about my life?”
“我们农村年轻人，出路是很少的”。
“钱都挣不到，还担心命呢？”
Related
And it isn’t only young migrants from the countryside who are turning to delivery riding as a last resort to make money.
At the 4-minute mark in the video, a rental shop owner who rents electric bikes to delivery riders says there are increasing numbers of former office workers who have lost their jobs, young mothers returning to work, and people in their forties and fifties unable to find work in other industries:
“’Without relevant experience, my academic qualifications are useless, and I am already past 35.’
‘The thing about delivery work is, it doesn’t matter if you’re male or female, young or old — it’ll take you on.’”
“没有工作经验，学历用不上了，还过了35岁。外卖这个事，就是不论你男女老少，它都能接纳你。”
The reference to being “past 35” is loaded.
In China’s job market, 35 has become an unofficial cut-off age. Many roles won’t consider older applicants, making delivery work one of the few sectors with no age discrimination.
The riders in the film speak frankly about the demands of the job.
They “brave the elements” (风里来雨里去), running red lights and riding the “wrong way” (逆行) down streets. The algorithm rewards speed, and punishes lateness. So road accidents and injuries are common.
The struggles of delivery riders are not a new theme. And we’ve looked at several stories over the years in this newsletter.
A defining article about delivery riders was published in September 2020 by People Magazine (人物杂志): Trapped in the System: The Life of a Delivery Rider (外卖骑手，困在系统里). That article also struck a nerve, it went viral, and was also partially censored. It exposed how algorithms squeezed delivery times, forcing riders to speed, run red lights, and risk their lives to hit impossible deadlines.
The phrase “trapped in the system” (困在系统里) became shorthand for algorithmic exploitation of gig workers.
Six years on, one interviewee in this new documentary adds a new twist that 2020 framing:
“Delivery riders aren’t trapped in the system.
They’re trapped by their own desires.”
外卖员不是困在系统里，而是困在自己的欲望里。
But he’s not talking about the desire to get rich, or build a better life. He’s doing it to survive and make ends meet in an increasingly brutal job market.
So that’s what we’re exploring this week!
Favourite Five
1. 接纳 jiē nà
accept, embrace
外卖这个事，就是不论你男女老少，它都能接纳你 - The thing about food delivery is that no matter who you are or where you are from, there is a place for you. [1]
2. 扎心 zhā xīn
heartbreaking, painful
看完这部纪录片以后，也让我不得不认清一个扎心的真相 - This documentary hit me hard with this sobering reality. [3]
3. 讨生活 tǎo shēng huó
make a living, scrape by
每个认真讨生活的人，都值得被看见 - Everyone who works hard to make a living deserves to be seen. [3]
4. 左右为难 zuǒ yòu wéi nán
caught in a dilemma, torn between two options
一边开店一边看孩子的那两年，真的是左右为难 - During those two years of running a shop while taking care of my children, I had a hard time balancing the two. [3]
5. 风里来雨里去 fēng lǐ lái yǔ lǐ qù
to toil through all weather, braving the elements
他们是风里来雨里去的，都很辛苦 - They’re out there braving the elements. It’s hard work for all of us. [3]
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Consuming the Conversation
Useful words
6. 熬 áo
endure, tough it out
跟送外卖的一样，只不过我是在店里熬 - I am no different from the delivery riders. The only difference is that I’m grinding away inside the shop. [3]
7. 消遣 xiāo qiǎn
pass time, amusement
送外卖似乎成了高薪白领们的消遣 - Being a delivery rider seems to have become a pastime for well-paid office workers. [1]
8. 北漂 běi piāo
Beijing drifters, migrants pursuing opportunities in Beijing
于辛庄村被称作北漂来京后的第一落脚点 - Yuxinzhuang Village is known as the first place many Beijing drifters stay after arriving in the capital. [1]
9. 出路 chū lù
way out, future prospects
我们农村年轻人，出路是很少的 - For us young people from rural areas, there are very few opportunities. [1]
10. 门槛 mén kǎn
threshold, barrier to entry
这个门槛相对来说还要低一点 - There aren’t many requirements for this job. [1]
11. 兜底 dōu dǐ
provide a safety net, be a last resort
外卖平台给了一个兜底的选择 - Food delivery platforms provide a fallback option. [2]
12. 透支 tòu zhī
overdraw, exhaust in advance
开店是熬，送外卖也是熬，我们都需要提前透支自己的体力和健康 - Whether you’re running a shop or delivering food, it’s all a grind. In both cases, we’re trading our health and well-being just to get by. [3]
Related:
体力 tǐ lì – physical strength
