Today’s Episode
Every day, parcels arrive at our doors as if by magic. But who brings them? In this episode, we explore the popular Chinese book I Deliver Parcels in Beijing, written by a former delivery worker, and discover the hidden stories behind China’s delivery riders.
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Every day in China, millions of delivery riders rush through the streets bringing food and parcels to people’s doors. But how much do they really earn? What pressures do they face? In next MaoMi Chinese+ episode, we explore the hidden side of delivery riders’ lives in China.
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大家好，欢迎回来 MaoMi Chinese！
如果有一天，你在网上买了一件衣服，又买了一本书。过了两天，有人按门铃，把一个快递送到你家门口。快递，就是你在网上买东西以后，公司把东西送到你家。你拿到快递，说一声“谢谢”，然后关上门。事情好像就这样结束了。
但是你有没有想过，这个把快递送到你家的人，他的一天是怎么过的？
今天我想跟大家聊一本书，名字叫《我在北京送快递》。这本书在中国最近很受欢迎，因为它讲的是一个很多人每天都会看到，但很少真的了解的职业：快递员。快递员，就是每天给大家送快递的人。
这本书的作者叫胡安焉。他不是一个作家，而是一个普通人。他年轻的时候做过很多工作，比如服务员、保安、工厂工人，还有快递员。后来，他把自己这些年的工作经历写成了一本书。经历，就是一个人以前做过的事情和生活。
在中国，网购非常普遍。网购的意思是在网上买东西。很多人几乎每天都会网购，比如买衣服、买手机、买零食，甚至买水果。所以每天都有非常多的快递，需要有人把它们送到不同的地方。在很多城市里，你都可以看到骑着电动车送快递的人。
作者在书里说，送快递是一个非常辛苦的工作。很多快递员每天工作很长时间，常常是早上很早就开始，一直工作到晚上十点或者十一点。北京的夏天非常热，可能三十多度，冬天又非常冷，有时候会到零下十度。但是不管天气怎么样，快递还是要送。
在送快递的时候，作者每天都会遇到很多不同的人。有的人对快递员非常友好，比如会说一声“辛苦了”或者“谢谢”。有时候还有人会给快递员一瓶水。但是也有一些人态度不太好，如果快递晚了一点，就会很生气，或者让快递员在楼下等很久。
作者在书里写了一句话，让很多人感动。他说，一个城市每天都在运转。运转的意思是一直在工作、一直在运行。但是在这个城市里，有很多人其实是看不见的。比如送快递的人、送外卖的人，还有清洁工人。如果没有这些人，城市的生活很难正常继续，但是很多人平时很少注意到他们。
《我在北京送快递》这本书其实讲的不是一个特别大的故事，而是一个普通人的生活。但是因为这样，它让很多人开始思考，城市里那些看起来普通、但是其实非常重要的工作。
好啦，最后我们复习一下今天学的词：
1快递。快递就是公司把东西很快送到你家的服务。
2 快递员。快递员就是每天给大家送快递的人。
3 网购。网购就是在网上买东西。
4 经历。经历就是一个人以前做过的事情和生活。
5 运转。运转就是一直在运行、一直在工作，比如我们可以说，一个城市每天都在运转。
你了解快递员的生活吗？在你的国家，快递员的生活怎么样？在下一期MaoMi Chinese+，我们会聊一聊中国快递员的生活，他们的工资，他们工作会有什么困难。
Hello everyone, welcome back to MaoMi Chinese!
Imagine one day you buy a piece of clothing online and also order a book. Two days later, someone rings your doorbell and delivers a parcel to your door. A delivery, or “kuaidi”, is the service where a company sends the things you bought online to your home. You take the parcel, say “thank you”, and close the door. It feels like the story ends there.
But have you ever thought about the person who brings that parcel to your home? What does a day in their life look like?
Today I’d like to talk about a book called I Deliver Parcels in Beijing. This book has recently become very popular in China because it talks about a job that many people see every day but rarely truly understand: the parcel delivery worker. A delivery worker is the person who brings parcels to people every day.
The author of the book is called Hu Anyan. He isn’t a writer but an ordinary person. When he was younger, he did many different jobs, such as being a waiter, a security guard, a factory worker, and a delivery worker. Later, he wrote about his work experiences over the years and turned them into a book. “Experience” here means the things a person has done and the life they have lived in the past.
In China, online shopping is extremely common. Online shopping means buying things on the internet. Many people shop online almost every day. They buy clothes, mobile phones, snacks, and even fruit. Because of this, there are a huge number of parcels every day that need to be delivered to different places. In many cities, you can often see people riding electric scooters to deliver parcels.
In the book, the author says that delivering parcels is actually a very hard job. Many delivery workers work very long hours. They often start early in the morning and keep working until ten or even eleven at night. Summers in Beijing are very hot, sometimes over thirty degrees, while winters are extremely cold and can drop to minus ten degrees. But no matter what the weather is like, the parcels still have to be delivered.
While delivering parcels, the author meets many different kinds of people every day. Some people are very friendly to delivery workers. For example, they might say “you’ve worked hard” or simply “thank you”. Sometimes people even give them a bottle of water. But there are also people who are not very kind. If a parcel arrives a little late, they may become angry or make the delivery worker wait downstairs for a long time.
In the book, the author writes a sentence that moved many readers. He says that a city is always running. “Running” here means that everything in the city is always working and operating. But in this city, there are many people who are almost invisible. For example, the people who deliver parcels, those who deliver takeaway food, and the street cleaners. Without these people, it would be very difficult for city life to continue normally, but many people rarely notice them.
I Deliver Parcels in Beijing is not a book about a grand or dramatic story. Instead, it tells the story of an ordinary person’s life. But because of this, it encourages many people to think again about the jobs in a city that may look ordinary but are actually very important.
Alright, before we finish, let’s review the words we learned today.
First, “kuaidi”, or delivery. This means the service where a company quickly sends the things you bought to your home.
Second, delivery worker. This is the person who delivers parcels to people every day.
Third, online shopping. This means buying things on the internet.
Fourth, experience. This refers to the things a person has done and the life they have lived before.
Fifth, running or operating. This means something is continuously working or functioning. For example, we can say that a city is running every day.
Do you know what the life of a delivery worker is like? In your country, what is the life of delivery workers like?
In the next episode of MaoMi Chinese, we will talk more about the lives of delivery workers in China — their salary and the difficulties they face in their work.
在俄罗斯人们每天都在网上买各种各样的东西。我也是。收到快递以后我总是说“谢谢”，还有时候给快递员一点儿小费。