by Kelly Dawson
With COVID-19 restricting travel, much of China faces the prospect of a second Chinese New Year away from home. In lieu of the usual family celebrations, many families are making use of JD’s guaranteed express delivery leading up to and during the holiday period to send special treats and gifts to ensure their children living in other cities still feel loved.
“I usually spend most of my time packaging and delivering business goods, but since entering the twelfth lunar month, more and more parents have been needing our help to send New Year’s gifts,” said Li Guobin, a courier in the Wuhan Tingziqiao sales department of JD Express. Items requested for delivery by parents have included cured fish and bacon, pickled foods, non-perishable items and more.
During this period Li has seen New Year’s gift deliveries increase by 3 to 5 times compared to last year, and as the lunar New Year approaches he expects a steady increase. On one recent day he processed more than a thousand kilograms of goods, he said.
Last week one customer, Ms. Dai, arranged to send pickled herring and vegetables to her daughter in Shanghai. “My daughter told me she can buy everything in Shanghai, and not to tire myself out, but I know that food from home just tastes better,” Dai said. In order to prepare the package, she woke at 6 am to visit the market, purchasing a large herring for pickling. Then, she visited two other vegetable markets to taste lotus root from a dozen vendors before finding the ideal selection. Her daughter was thrilled to receive the package, she later recounted.
Another customer, Mr. Yi, bought a special vacuum packaging machine specifically for the purpose of shipping his special home-cooked meatballs and crispy fish to his son in Singapore. “My son has told me several times that he can’t wait to come home to eat our fried meatballs, and I was hoping to fry it for him when he came home during Chinese New Year. Since that won’t happen, at least I know I can send this special treat to him. We will see our son when the spring blossoms.”
Observing these gestures, the courier Li has felt emotional, he said. He himself is from Fujian, and will not be able to travel home. His mother sent him some local treats including chicken feet and brined chicken, two dishes he would normally eat with family during the holiday.
It will be tough to be far from home during the traditional holiday, but Li feels confident that it’s the right decision for everyone, he said. “On the one hand, it’s important that we ensure steady delivery during the holiday period; and on the other hand, the current situation with the epidemic is still unclear, so we will go home later in the year,” he explained.
Two days ago, JD Logistics announced that it will ensure delivery during the Chinese New Year period, for the ninth consecutive year. As the first logistics company in the country to offer this service, JD is now also expanding its delivery policy to include the first three days following New Year’s Eve, during which customers in 30 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions, nearly 300 cities and 1,500 counties and districts can receive orders as fast as usual.
(kellydawson@jd.com)
