When foreigners come to China, besides mobile payment, what amazes them most is food delivery and express delivery. Lunchtime, open your phone to order delivery, arrives at your door in 30 minutes; buy clothes online, receive them the next day. This is "China speed."
How developed is food delivery in China? No matter where you are in the city, no matter how remote, you can get delivery. Meituan and Ele.me, the two big platforms, cover almost every county in China. Prices are cheap too—a lunch box is about 20 RMB, cheaper than cooking yourself. On rainy or cold days, don't want to go out? Order delivery, 10 RMB delivery fee, someone brings food to your bed.
Express delivery is even more impressive. China has ZTO, YTO, STO, Yunda, SF, JD Logistics, delivery points cover every village. Shop online, most places arrive next day, same-city same day. Lockers and stations everywhere, you can receive even when not home. And shipping is super cheap—send a cross-province package, 5 RMB is enough, cheaper than mailing a letter.
Why is China's delivery and express so fast? First, large population, big market, spreads the cost. Second, lots of electric scooters, can go anywhere on streets and alleys, more convenient than cars. Third, mobile payment is advanced—ordering, paying, reviewing all on your phone. Fourth, many people—lots of delivery workers, plenty of labor.
Delivery and express are indeed convenient, but they have problems—takeout produces a lot of single-use waste, not eco-friendly; delivery workers brave wind and rain, work very hard. Now the government is also pushing eco-friendly packaging and better protection for delivery workers. We hope China's speed gets faster, while also becoming warmer.
