China CCTV removes short film that ‘romanticises’ food delivery work after public backlash

China’s state broadcaster CCTV has come under fire over a short film that romanticises food delivery jobs.\nThe film told viewers that such jobs offer “the freedom to enjoy the scenery along the way” and “brings delivery workers closer to their dreams”.\nNetizens slammed the video for glorifying hardship and suffering, describing it as being tone-deaf to the real struggles faced by delivery workers.\n\nOn November 28, CCTV and Meituan, the operator of China’s major on-demand delivery platform, jointly released a three-minute short film about a graphic designer who quits her job to become a food delivery courier.\nThe production aimed to promote diligence and convey a sense of positive energy.\nIn the film, a female graphic designer nicknamed Alan grows tired of her monotonous life and decides to resign to work as a delivery rider.\n\nSet in the scenic town of Dali, Yunnan province, southwestern China, the film features clean, beautiful visuals and portrays the daily life of delivery workers in a fresh, serene and almost idyllic way.\nAlan explains that delivery work not only provides her with an income, but also offers her “the freedom to appreciate the scenery along the way” and “the ability to switch identities at will”, making her feel “closer to her dreams”.\n\nBy the third month on the job, she saves enough to buy a new camera to capture striking moments on her delivery routes, eventually holding a solo photography exhibition.\nThe voice-over track says: “The beautiful life I long for, I deliver it and I receive it too.”\nSome media outlets have said that the short film is part of CCTV’s “Brand Strengthen A Nation Project.”\n\nLaunched in 2020 by China Media Group (CMG), the project was designed to reward companies that made charitable contributions during the Covid-19 pandemic relief efforts in central Hubei province, offering 3.1 billion yuan (US$440 million) worth of advertising in exchange.\nSince Meituan donated 200 million yuan (US$30 million), the company qualified for the advertising exposure.\nAccording to Xinhua News Agency, as of 2025, China had more than 10 million food delivery riders.\nOf that number, Meituan accounts for 7.45 million riders, growing at an average annual rate of nearly 20 per cent.\nFrom 2022 to 2024, the number of female delivery workers on the platform increased from 517,000 to 701,000, marking a 35.6 per cent rise.\nWhile many people take up food delivery as a temporary job during unemployment, they often face serious risks and challenges, including lack of social insurance, penalties for bad reviews or fines imposed by platforms and algorithm-driven heavy workloads.\nThe film’s so-called positive energy narrative sparked a strong backlash from netizens.\n\nOne person wrote: “They are running red lights and still have time to enjoy the scenery? Was the person who came up with this advert a pig?”\n“Migrant workers working out at construction sites? Delivery riders admiring roadside views? This is turning sheer survival into a fairy tale,” said another.\nWhile a third added: “This is like calling hanging a swing ride. I have seen shamelessness before, but never like this. Romanticising food delivery work like some bourgeois fantasy. It is really disgusting.”\nThe video has since been taken down from CCTV’s official platform.\nNeither Meituan nor CCTV has issued an official statement in response to the controversy.\n