A Shanghai courier’s claim of earning Rs 1.42 crore through marathon shifts has gone viral, fuelling a fresh argument over hustle culture, safety and what gig work really pays after costs.
Zhang Xueqiang says he entered Shanghai’s delivery economy with his back to the wall. After his small breakfast shop shut down, he was left with about Rs 6.36 lakh in debt. Delivering parcels was supposed to be temporary. Instead, he stuck with it for five straight years and now claims he earned about ¥1.12 million, roughly Rs 1.42 crore, by working 13 hours a day, seven days a week.
The number has travelled fast online because it sounds like a clean, modern version of the classic “hard work pays” story. Zhang’s own explanation is simpler than the headline. He attributes it to turning up every day, taking longer routes, staying on during peak hours and chasing performance-linked incentives that reward speed, volume and customer ratings. In a city like Shanghai, where delivery riders are part of the daily rhythm, those bonuses can add up for workers who rarely log off.
But the same details that make the story impressive are also what make it unsettling. Many commenters praised Zhang as proof that discipline can still lift people out of debt. Others pushed back sharply, arguing that the earnings come with a price that is too easy to ignore: risk. Riders weave through traffic under constant time pressure, often on tight deadlines that encourage dangerous driving and leave little room for rest. The most repeated criticism was blunt: money like this is earned by putting your body, and sometimes your life, on the line.
There is also a basic question people keep asking whenever a viral income claim appears: what is the net figure after costs? Couriers typically shoulder everyday expenses such as fuel or charging, vehicle repairs, phone data, food on the go and, in many cases, medical bills after crashes or injuries. Even without an accident, long shifts increase fatigue and the chance of mistakes. Those costs rarely appear in the celebratory framing of “earnings”.
Zhang’s story has landed in the middle of China’s longer argument about overwork. The country has spent years debating “996” schedules, and authorities have publicly criticised extreme hours. Yet the gig economy often sits in a grey zone, with many riders treated more like independent contractors than employees, which can limit protections and shift risks onto workers.
Zhang has acknowledged exhaustion and pressure, which may be the most important part of the story. Whether or not his numbers are typical, the debate his claim triggered is familiar: in a system that rewards speed and availability, success can look a lot like strain. The question people are really arguing about is not whether he worked hard, but whether anyone should have to work like that to get ahead.
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