Single-minded journey

Some jobs require a lot of stamina and strength for workers to last and be able to withstand the stress.

The wife of 32-year-old Chinese programmer Gao Guanghui of Guangdong, China shared to the South China Morning Post (SCMP) that he refused to leave work early or take a leave since becoming a team leader at the tech company he worked for since 2021.

Gao, who usually came home at 9:30 p.m., told his wife Li (not her real name) that his workload was too heavy and that he should work alongside his team members. One Saturday in November, Gao woke up not feeling well but still worked from home using his computer.

Suddenly, Gao convulsed and he was rushed to the Guangdong Second Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival, according to SCMP.

While being taken to the hospital, Gao was added to an online work group set up by his office. Eight hours after Gao’s death from an apparent heart attack blamed on overwork, he was still given an urgent work task through the online chat group.

Meanwhile, food businesses in the remote Tibetan county of Medog have been making brisk sales since August 2024 when Alibaba started its food delivery service for the area’s small population of 15,000.

Huang Kaihong, 24, almost singlehandedly drove the meal order boom as he was the county’s only full-time delivery rider. He visited more than 300 local businesses in Medog, promoting the Taobao Shangou online delivery service and setting up their menus on the platform, SCMP reports.

Delivery riders in Chinese cities typically handle 40 to 60 orders daily, but Huang delivers up to 200 orders a day to residents in the foothills of the Himalayan region, according to SCMP. He enjoys his gruelling job as he earns well and gets to see scenic Tibetan landscapes such as waterfalls and snow-capped mountains.

Huang has also grown accustomed to the loneliness and does not mind delivering meals solo. His story and related posts have gained more than two million views on the mainland’s social media, with commenters impressed by his industriousness, SCMP reported.