Chongqing - In the sweltering afternoon heat, Wang Xuping loaded his postal truck with packages destined for Lanying and Xi’an villages, two remote areas deep in the mountains of Chongqing Wuxi County. At the age of 32, Wang has been the lifeline for these villages, delivering parcels and mail daily on treacherous mountain roads.
Wang Xuping delivers the package to a villager along the route. (Photo/Qiao Luoyang)
These villages, previously cut off from modern conveniences, were largely inaccessible to courier services. Villagers had to travel over 100 kilometers to pick up packages, often spending 60 yuan or more on transportation. However, in September 2022, China Post’s Wuxi Post Office initiated a "Postal-Courier Partnership" in Tongcheng Town, consolidating parcels from multiple courier companies and allowing postal workers like Wang to deliver them directly to these remote areas.
Wang, a native of Xi’an Village, returned home in 2016 to care for his mother and started a small freight business. In 2018, Wuxi Post Office established a postal station in Xi’an Village, and Wang was recommended for the job due to his diligence. His family's small grocery store also became the village's postal agency.
Every morning at 8:00 a.m., Wang embarks on a nearly 100-kilometer round trip, picking up parcels from Xi’an and Lanying villages and transporting them to Tongcheng Town’s distribution center. The return journey through the perilous Lanying Canyon - the deepest in Chongqing - takes at least two hours each way on steep, winding roads. Wang remains unfazed but admits that summer landslides and winter ice make the route dangerous.
Wang Xuping's postal truck navigates a winding and treacherous mountain road. (Photo/Qiao Luoyang)
In six years, Wang has driven over 150,000 kilometers, recently replacing his truck in March. Since the "Postal-Courier Partnership" began, he has delivered between 150 and 200 parcels daily, working year-round except for a brief Chinese New Year’s break.
"E-commerce has changed life here," Wang says. "Villagers eagerly wait by the roadside for their packages."
As Wang’s truck approached Lanying Village, villager Wu Kanglan was already waiting. Her daughter, who works in downtown Chongqing, frequently sends supplies. Similarly, 60-year-old Liu Zhongqing, a regular recipient, has embraced online shopping, ordering everything from farm tools to household appliances.
Wang Xuping teaches a villager how to use items purchased online. (Photo/Qiao Luoyang)
The convenience of online shopping has sparked new consumer habits in these remote villages. Older residents now regularly order seeds, fertilizer, and even small farm animals online. However, not all deliveries go smoothly—Wang recalls a winter incident where a villager’s order of anti-freeze foam filled his truck, forcing him to make two trips.
By 5:00 p.m., Wang returned to Xi’an Village’s postal station, which doubles as his home. His father helped sort the parcels, while his mother, despite limited mobility, managed the family’s grocery store next door.
In the evening, villagers arrived to collect their packages. One handed Wang a bottle of water in gratitude—a small gesture, but significant. Despite the decline in their store’s business due to the rise of e-commerce, Wang and his family remain committed to helping villagers with their online shopping needs.
"E-commerce has brought new possibilities to our village," says Wang, who, like many others, is now considering selling local products online to share the mountains' best with the world.
(The Chinese version of this report was contributed by Long Danmei, a reporter from Chongqing Daily.)