Shanghai delivery worker’s ‘yuan millionaire’ claim sparks heated debate amid China’s bleak jobs outlook
- In a video on Douyin, Chen, wearing his Meituan uniform, said his failed restaurant business in his home province left him with a debt of 800,000 yuan (US$112,274)
- Based on Chen’s claims, he would need to earn an average of 28,000 yuan a month, delivering 107 orders per day consistently over a span of 1,000 days
Claims by a food delivery worker in Shanghai that he made more than 1 million yuan (US$140,343) in three years, a story widely reported by state media and debated on social media, has offered hope to the unemployed amid China’s sputtering economic recovery and bleak job market outlook.
Chen Si, a 26-year-old from the central province of Jiangxi, suggested in a series of videos posted on Douyin, the Chinese sibling of ByteDance’s TikTok, that he made a total of 1.02 million yuan from three years of delivering meals in the Chinese financial hub.
In one video, Chen, wearing his Meituan courier uniform, said his failed restaurant business in his home province left him with a debt of 800,000 yuan. This prompted him to come to Shanghai where he landed a food courier gig to help pay off his debts.
“I work 18 hours every day … worked over 1,000 days in three years, barely taking leave,” Chen said, adding that he has paid off all his debt.
