At 5 p.m., as city lights begin to glow, Qiu Lianke mounts his electric bike, and a new order alert chimes on his phone—signaling the start of his workday. As the Party branch secretary for food delivery riders in Fuyang District, he deliberately schedules his delivery shifts for the evening to free up his daytime hours for what he describes as “unpaid tasks that still need to be done.”
Over the past eight years, this post-90s rider has spent nearly ten hours each day navigating the streets and alleys of Fuyang. While many view food delivery as a simple courier job, Qiu Lianke has redefined the profession’s warmth and significance through his actions.
On the chilly evening of January 7, 2025, Qiu Lianke had just picked up an order and was waiting at a red light when his headlights illuminated a black backpack on the road. After calling out twice with no response, and with cars honking behind him as the light turned green, he quickly retrieved the bag. Discovering a laptop inside, he immediately diverted his route to the Chengxi Police Station despite having pending deliveries. After handing the bag to the officer on duty, he left his contact information and resumed his deliveries. About an hour later, he received an emotional call from the grateful owner, a young man named Xiao Li, who later sent a commendation banner through the local community.
Such acts of integrity have become routine for Qiu Lianke. Over the past two years alone, he has returned four lost mobile phones to their owners, always insisting that returning lost property is simply the right thing to do.
Beyond his delivery duties, Qiu Lianke also serves as a watchdog for food safety. Having witnessed unsanitary conditions in restaurant kitchens during pickups, he felt compelled to act. In July 2024, he documented the poor hygiene of a small eatery and reported it to market regulators. The restaurant, operating out of a converted garage, had food and utensils scattered on dirty floors, with cooks working bare-chested. Thanks to his report, the establishment was ordered to improve its conditions within 12 days.
Inspired by his initiative, the Fuyang District Market Supervision Bureau collaborated with related agencies to form a team of nearly 100 delivery riders known as “Food Safety Riders.” These riders help monitor merchants by reporting violations such as the use of expired ingredients, false advertising, and poor sanitation. As a core member, Qiu Lianke has personally reported and participated in addressing 18 food safety incidents in just over a year. This innovative approach was even featured on a national news program, and Qiu takes pride in contributing to public health.
As a large and highly mobile workforce, delivery riders nationwide often face safety risks, disputes, and low professional recognition. Drawing on eight years of experience, Qiu Lianke understands their challenges intimately. Since 2023, he has actively supported efforts in Fuyang to improve working conditions for gig economy workers. He promotes ethical and safe delivery practices and assists over 3,000 riders, including those who are deaf, mute, or physically disabled, as well as helping riders’ children with school enrollment. Through collaboration with local authorities, he has helped organize 59 support activities benefiting more than 10,000 riders.
These unpaid community services occupy much of Qiu Lianke’s daytime hours. To accommodate this work, he switched to night shifts, often working until 2 or 3 a.m. Though some colleagues joke about his “unpaid dedication,” he finds it rewarding to see the riders’ morale and public image improve over time.
By the end of 2024, Qiu was appointed secretary-general of the Fuyang District Online Delivery Association, becoming a mentor to over 1,000 crowd-sourced riders. He conducts daily afternoon training sessions on topics like residential delivery etiquette and provides real-time support for various issues. Under his management, his delivery site has become the largest in Fuyang, with the fewest customer complaints.
Among his peers, Qiu Lianke is seen as a reliable “family-like” figure. He has helped injured riders claim insurance, assisted those who fainted on the job, delivered a spare battery to a rider with a dead electric bike on a cold winter night, and mediated disputes between riders and property managers. Last year alone, he resolved 17 such conflicts.
While on delivery routes, he often moves obstacles from roads, helps elderly pedestrians with their carts, and has even extinguished smoldering trash bins. In the past two years, he has performed 58 such acts of kindness.
“Delivery riders may be small cogs in the machinery of society,” Qiu reflects, “but when each cog performs its duty conscientiously, it helps the whole city run more smoothly.”