China 101
Express delivery (Cainiao / SF Express)
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China's vast, cheap, and fast parcel delivery system, the world's largest by volume, which makes next-day delivery of almost anything a daily expectation.
Kuaidi, express delivery, is the circulatory system of Chinese e-commerce. The country handles more parcels than the rest of the world combined, well over a hundred billion a year, at prices and speeds that amaze foreigners: next-day delivery across the country for a few yuan is routine, and same-day is common in cities.
The system has layers. The Tongda companies (ZTO, YTO, and siblings) run the high-volume franchise networks that serve Taobao and Pinduoduo; Cainiao, Alibaba's logistics arm, coordinates data and warehouses; SF Express is the premium player with its own airline. At the street level, delivery stations and smart lockers have replaced doorsteps as the standard drop point.
Cheap, reliable kuaidi underpins everything from livestream commerce to the guzi resale market. Its couriers, like food delivery riders, are also central to debates about gig work conditions.