Notable incidents involving couriers

Sudden death

In Nov, a courier in Zhuzhou city, Hunan province, died suddenly while transporting parcels during the peak delivery period for Single's Day, a shopping festival that falls on November 11 every year.

The 39-year-old, surnamed Yin, parked his tricycle on a busy street before sitting heavily on the ground. He told a passer-by he was "exhausted", and died shortly afterward. Media reports said that Yin, whose sons are ages 1 and 11, had only been working as a courier for about two weeks.

According to Syntun, a data provider, the volume of online sales exceeded 177 billion yuan ($25 billion) on Single's Day, leaving more than 1 billion parcels to be delivered in the weeks after the festival.

Infusion bag

On December 11, a photo of an unnamed courier delivering parcels while fitted with an infusion bag in Jingning county, Zhejiang province, East China, went viral on the Chinese internet, eliciting widespread sympathy.

Although the reason for the use of the drip was not known, some observers speculated that the courier faced the threat of losing his monthly bonus if he asked for sick leave. Although it is uncertain which company he worked for, the courier was wearing a coat bearing the logo of SF Express (Group) Co, the country's leading delivery company. While some netizens praised the courier as a model worker, others called for changes to the long hours and low pay faced by delivery workers.

Assault

In April, video footage showing a courier for SF Express being slapped across the face by a driver prompted outrage.

The driver attacked the courier after the delivery man's electric tricycle struck his car in Beijing. The original Weibo post that carried the video was forwarded more than 45,000 times and received 16,000 comments.

In the video, the driver, surnamed Li, can be seen charging at the courier and slapping his face at least six times. The courier didn't attempt to avoid the blows or fight back. According to China Central Television, the courier apologized and paid Li compensation of 400 yuan ($58).

SF Express reported the incident to Beijing police, but declined Li's request for mediation because of the severity of the assault. Li was placed in administrative detention for 10 days.