Speedily delivering a new outlook

In March, a group of female food delivery riders made headlines.

When residents of Shenzhen experienced difficulties amid the pandemic, around 20 female food delivery riders volunteered to send supplies to local residents of the Shangsha community in the city's Futian district.

Their leader is 25-year-old Luo Zaiyan.

According to an interview Luo did with SZTV News of Shenzhen's Satellite TV, she has been working full time as a food delivery rider since 2009, her first job after she moved to Shenzhen from Guizhou province.

In the beginning, it was a tough job for Luo because she was a stranger to the city. However, she has enjoyed the freedom of riding through the streets every day and the income has been good.

"Being my own boss is a really nice thing," says Luo. Now, her younger sister Luo Shishi also works as a food delivery rider.

"When I saw the recruitment for food delivery riders posted by the Shangsha community, I signed up for the job because I live in the community and I know the routes very well, which made the job efficient and it benefited the residents," says Luo Zaiyan.

With the image of self-empowerment, confidence and resilience, she has become a team leader of one of the food delivery stations of online service platform Meituan.

"I don't agree with the idea that food delivery will not get you anywhere. I actually enjoy the job," she says.

Another food delivery rider, 34-year-old Li Xiumei, works for Alibaba-owned grocery retail chain, Freshippo, in Beijing and she was introduced to food delivery work by her friend in March.

On May 1, it was announced that all restaurants would be required to suspend dine-in services and only offer takeout instead, as the city fights the latest resurgence of COVID-19. As a result, Li's orders have been on the rise.

She works more than eight hours a day and takes orders from residents living in Shuangjing, Chaoyang district, which has several residential communities under lockdown.

"I usually stop taking orders around 10 pm and take time to clean before going home," she says. "The job drains me physically, but I don't need much except to be financially independent."

She adds that she is the only female rider at the station, so her male co-workers often offer to help with carrying heavy deliveries or taking orders longer distances.