Young woman mails China’s 100 billionth parcel in 2021

China’s courier sector this year set a new record by handling more than 100 billion parcels as of Dec. 8, the highest number worldwide for the eighth consecutive year, statistics from the State Post Bureau showed.

Zhang Furong (right) at the delivery service station. (Photo/chengdu.cn)

On the same day, a young woman named Zhang Furong, who helped her fellow villagers sell their oranges online, mailed 4.5 kg of oranges through postal services, never expecting that they would become the 100 billionth parcel handled in China this year.

“The postal worker told me about this and I felt blessed,” Zhang said excitedly. In July, the 28-year-old closed down her homestay business in Chengdu, capital city of southwest China’s Sichuan Province, and returned to her village in Meishan city to help her father sell the oranges he had grown. Usually, the oranges were sold to secondary dealers at a very low price.

Photo shows Zhang Furong (Photo/chengdu.cn)

Zhang opened an online store and mailed the oranges through a delivery service station in her village. She also promoted the oranges on social media platforms to expand sales channels. In just over a month, Zhang sold 1,500 kg of oranges grown by her father. After that, her neighbors approached her and asked her to help them sell their own oranges.

“I said yes and it turned out that the oranges were sold for twice as much as those offered by the dealers,” Zhang disclosed.

Zhang’s village is located in the northwestern part of Meishan. About 20 kilometers from the city, it is seldom visited by outsiders, except in the autumn and winter months starting from September, the orange harvest season.

Zhang Furong picks oranges in the orchard. (Photo/chengdu.cn)

Orange cultivation is the major source of income for local residents. In the past, villagers had to transport their oranges to a township 10 kilometers away to have them mailed, which was both inconvenient and time-consuming. In July this year, a delivery service station was established in the village, making it easier for villagers to access delivery services and possible for locally grown fruits to reach more markets.

Zhang said it was a coincidence that she was the one who mailed the country’s 100 billionth parcel, adding that this has given her great motivation as someone trying to start her own business in the village. After graduating from university, Zhang worked a data processor in Shanghai until she went to Chengdu to open her own homestay business. However, she says she feels more comfortable working in the village.

Zhang Furong (right) introduces the oranges. (Photo/chengdu.cn)

Orange cultivation has become a major industry in five counties and districts in Meishan, with the total planting area exceeding 70,000 hectares, including 58,666 hectares of late-season oranges. The turnover of the orange industry has reached 11.5 billion yuan, with the industry now able to generate an extra income of more than 10,000 yuan for each one of about 1 million people on average. By the end of June, 26,114 villages in Sichuan Province had access to express delivery services.

The late-season orange sees a bumper harvest in Meishan city this year. (Photo/Gu Liangju)