Govt pushes for expansion of delivery services

Residents send parcels at the delivery outlet in Luci village, Zhejiang. [He Xiaohua/for China Daily]

The express delivery outlet in Luci is located in the local government service hall. Packages are organized and placed on a shelf in an orderly fashion.

Hong Ya, a village government employee, works as a part-time staff member, helping villagers collect and send parcels.

"It is not always busy at the post, and we have a regular routine to receive and send parcels," Hong said, adding that she can spare the time to take the job.

She receives an extra 400 to 500 yuan ($62 to $77) a month, which saves hiring a full-time employee.

To further reduce outlay, express delivery outlets in villages are set up in premises such as grocery stores and government buildings.

The network in Luci has improved since June, when the express delivery outlet in the village started collecting parcels.

For Qiu Lei, manager of a small luxury hotel in a valley near the village, the system makes it more convenient to send homemade agricultural goods to clients.

"Some customers like our homemade food, such as wine and pickled baby bamboo. Some prefer to leave large pieces of luggage or parcels at the store and ask the staff members to send them home. I can send packages from the outlet in the village, which is more convenient," the 25-year-old said.