Food delivery rider Ma Zhipeng takes out a customer's food from the delivery box. Photoe: Courtesy of Han Weizheng

During a sleepy classroom session,MK sport the eighth grader Ma Zhipeng had already mapped out his future life: drop out of school after finishing middle school, work for four or five years to save enough money, return to his hometown to open a restaurant, get married, and live a carefree life. 

"But reality hit as soon as I stepped into society," Ma said while helping me to adjust my rider helmet. 

Now, at the age of 20, Ma works as a delivery rider for the online food platform Ele.me. A few days ago, Ma was my guide during my immersive experience as a food delivery rider.  

At 16, Ma arrived in Beijing and became an apprentice in a restaurant. In his first year, his mentor deceived him out of his savings. Before the restaurant closed for the Chinese New Year, the mentor borrowed 6,000 yuan ($818) from Ma, who trusted him without hesitation. But when the new year began, the mentor never returned, and Ma discovered his contact had been blocked. Earning 3,000 yuan a month as an apprentice, Ma had saved just over 10,000 yuan for six months. 

"I knew that making a living in the society could be harsh, but I didn't expect this to happen to me," Ma said with a wry smile as he took a deep drag of his cigarette. 

When Ma decided to quit school, his father warned, "Without a degree, you won't even know where to cry in the future." This prophecy came true during an accident in his culinary apprenticeship, which marked a turning point in his career. 

One day, while staying late to hone his skills, Ma accidentally burned his palm. The excruciating pain was bearable, but the overwhelming sense of grievance wasn't. With no one to console him, 17-year-old Ma sat on a curb, clutching an ice pack, and his tears streaming down his face. His father's words echoed in his mind, and he realized his youthful dreams had been shattered, and it was time for a change. 

In the restaurant business, Ma frequently encountered some food delivery riders. "I heard they earn more," he said, so he swapped his apron for a helmet and became a delivery rider.

On his electric scooter, Ma's life seemed to pick up speed. After two and a half years of delivering orders, Ma became the youngest team leader of his delivery station, responsible for morning meetings with at least 17 riders.

During the lunchtime rush, I, a novice rider, managed only seven deliveries in two hours, while Ma's usual midday numbers ranged from 20 to 25 orders. Despite this, Ma wouldn't be counted as the top performer, but he said he still valued the freedom his job offered. 

As a mentor, Ma shared his thought, "To deliver food well, you need to know the routes, have good riding skills, and build relationships. For example, if you're friendly with merchants, they might prioritize preparing your orders," Ma firmly believes. "Treat others well, and they'll treat you well in return."

"Even if you're running late, call the customer, apologize sincerely, and explain you're new and unfamiliar with the routes. Most customers are understanding," Ma said. Over his two and a half years in Beijing, he has rarely encountered difficult customers and instead experienced many touching moments. 

On a Chinese New Year's Eve, Ma delivered his final order before heading home. A young girl opened the door and said to him, "Happy New Year, uncle!" and handed him a prepared red envelope (a gift of money given during Chinese New Year holidays in China). Though the money wasn't much, the gesture warmed his heart. 

"At that moment, I felt there are still a lot of good people in the world," Ma said. 

Perhaps it's because the job of being a delivery rider suits him well, Ma's world shifted from being cloudy to sunny. He is warm-hearted and straightforward, addressing everyone as "brother" or "sister," and approaching all situations with a smile. His genuine character naturally makes him approachable.

Sense of chivalry

Before long, Ma earned a good reputation among his colleagues and the merchants. Always eager to lend a hand to others, he found that people were just as willing to help him when he was in need. In his own words, he was "well-connected." As I put it, this is the spirit of "one for all, all for one."

So, when Ma decided to join the "Community Heroes," no one was surprised.

The "Community Heroes" are a special group of food delivery riders who, besides delivering orders, engage in public service and acts of bravery. Some care for the elderly, others assist people with disabilities, put out fires happened during deliveries, or rescue people they encounter on the way. Their kindness and reliability are recognized by both the public and the platform, earning them the honorary title of the "Community Heroes."

Ma is one of those who have been inspired by this sense of chivalry. Between 10 am and 11 am, just before the lunch rush begins, many delivery riders either take a break to scroll through their phones, or stay near commercial areas to prepare for the next orders.  

One day, the station manager suddenly announced in the group chat that the community seniors' cafeteria was overwhelmed and asked if anyone was willing to take this time to deliver meals to elderly residents with mobility problems. Two people signed up right away, and Ma was one of them.

At first, delivering meals to the elderly didn't get paid, but Ma didn't mind. "I saw it as an opportunity to familiarize myself with the residential area," he said. Over time, the seniors began to know him, calling out his name and gifting him apples. This sense of being remembered and appreciated touched Ma deeply. 

Before running commercial orders with Ma, I joined him in delivering meals to seniors. He advised me, "For regular orders, speed is important. Sometimes, you can leave them at the door and move on, but for seniors, you must wait a little longer. If they don't answer the door, call them. If they still don't respond, call their children or the community office. If something happens to them, we help."

When I asked why he does this, Ma said, "The platform has now introduced the 'Senior Care e-Meal' program, so delivering meals to seniors is equivalent to a regular order. But more importantly, every time I see the elderly, I think of my grandma."

This sentiment resonates with other riders, like Wang Pengfei, another "Community Hero" born in 1990. 

Riding an electric scooter to deliver food Photoe: Courtesy of Han Weizheng

Something meaningful

During the Mid-Autumn Festival in 2023, Wang's mother called to tell him that his father wouldn't be returning home from work during the holiday for family reunion, and his younger brother, who was teaching in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, couldn't come home, either. She told him to take care of himself in Beijing. Hearing this, Wang burst into tears. The image of his mother overlapped with that of the seniors he served. He realized he was doing something meaningful. 

Now, Wang makes a point to chat with the seniors he delivers to. For some, these brief exchanges may be their only conversation of the day. Wang also enjoys interacting with the elderly. The main emotion for delivery riders is anxiety because there's always a ticking clock. Even during moments of downtime while waiting for orders, it's hard to relax because the more downtime you have, the more time you feel you're wasting, he said. As a result, a delivery rider's day often involves arguments - arguing with merchants who are slow to prepare orders, with fellow riders over minor accidents on the road, and with security guards who may refuse to let them in.

"If my day starts with a word of thanks from an elderly person or even just an ice pop they give me, my whole day seems smooth and pleasant as it's off to a good start," Wang said.

Delivery is a job that demands speed, but ever since he started delivering meals to the elderly, Wang has found a "slower" pace in his life. "It's given me a flavor of life I'd never experienced before," he added.

Wang reflected on how he used to be like a robot, focused solely on earning money. He never took a day off and spent every waking moment thinking about how to cover rent, utilities, e-bike expenses, and battery costs, constantly pushing himself to take more delivery orders. Even earlier, when he worked in a factory, he had little interaction with others, simply keeping his head down and working.

But his experience as a "Community Hero" brought about a change. Since then, he started choosing to spend more time with his parents, returning to his hometown in North China's Hebei Province not just for the Chinese New Year but also for the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day. "What's the point of earning so much money if not for my parents?" he said.

At the end of the interview, I asked Ma a question, "What does 'chivalry' mean to you?"  

After thinking for a ­moment, he replied, not long ago, he attended a first aid training session organized by the company and got certified in first aid. He learned Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and artificial respiration. 

"Sometimes, while riding my  electric scooter, I imagine that if one day I encountered someone in critical condition on the road and managed to save their life with what I've learned, wouldn't that make me a hero straight out of a ­novel?" Ma said with a laugh.