Xiao Wu, who is from Shanxi, came to Shanghai in March this year with many colleagues to join the thriving food delivery industry. However, they did not expect that less than a month after arriving, they would encounter a citywide lockdown.
After the outbreak of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 in Shanghai, the five-day lockdown initially announced by the government has now lasted over a month. Xiao Wu, along with more than 25 million Shanghai residents, is living under strict lockdown measures. During the pandemic, delivery drivers, who usually just pass by quickly, have now become people whom citizens heavily rely on.
BBC Chinese interviewed several delivery drivers and sociologists based in Shanghai to understand this special group of people under the lockdown.