English of self-taught China courier dazzles Cadillac boss so much he joins delivery rounds

Cadillac vice-president Tim Heile admitted he was exhausted after joining Yi on his rounds. Photo: Douyin

• Hardworking China delivery worker takes his language lessons to work and polishes his efforts in tiny attic

A humble courier in China who spent nearly a decade diligently teaching himself English did such a good job that he impressed the vice-president of a luxury car company.

Yi Xun, 39, from Hunan province in central China, shares his delivery route experiences in English on Douyin and has attracted 1.25 million followers.

The tiny attic in his home, with its bare brick walls and room for only one person, is his classroom.

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Starting from scratch, Yi bought a phonetic chart, piles of exercise books and watched countless online teaching videos.

He delivers meals by day and studies English at night. He also keeps learning materials in his delivery box.

"When I'm waiting for orders, I watch English videos on my phone, and I listen to English songs with my earphones while riding my motorbike," he said.

His dream is to take the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) exam and leave his courier job to become a bilingual tour guide.

"I believe knowledge changes destiny," he said.

In China, food delivery workers earn between one and nine yuan (14 US cents and US$1.2) per order, depending on the delivery distance.

On June 17, Yi posted a video of himself wearing his yellow delivery uniform, standing in front of a Cadillac worth about 300,000 yuan (US$41,000) and saying: "Only 400,000 more deliveries until I can afford this Cadillac. Let's keep going."

In the video, he wipes the Cadillac badge with a tissue and says admiringly in English: "Congratulations to this person for becoming a distinguished Cadillac owner."

The video went viral on mainland social media, attracting 2.6 million likes on Douyin.

Cadillac's vice-president, Tim Heile, responded with a video encouraging Yi to continue pursuing his dreams.

"I love your passion for Cadillac, this is amazing. Keep on chasing your dreams. All greatness always comes for daring to begin with," Heile said.

A few days later, the executive flew to Hunan to meet Yi and joined him in his work, experiencing the challenges of being a food delivery man.

He delivered food to the sixth floor using only stairs because there was no lift in the building.

After completing it, he was out of breath and said: "That was exhausting. I'm really tired."

He then gave Yi a travel voucher for a family trip and a model car, and invited him for a ride in a Cadillac.

Yi's story resonated on mainland social media.

"Rewards and opportunities always come to those who are bold and hardworking. I'm waiting for the day you become a bilingual tour guide," one online observer wrote on Weibo.

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This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (www.scmp.com), the leading news media reporting on China and Asia.

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