Surgeon delivers alternative way to relax

By day, Wang Yunjia is an orthopedic surgeon at a public hospital in Changsha, Hunan province, but at night, he transforms into someone quite different — a deliveryman.

A video of him removing his surgical gloves and donning the blue uniform of on-demand delivery company Dada, then maneuvering his e-bike through the streets with ease, went viral late last year with more than 5 million views on the short-video platform Douyin.

His video sparked mixed responses, with many wondering why a skilled surgeon would take on such an unrelated side gig.

"In my eyes, doctor and deliveryman, although different professions, are the same in nature, both offering a helping hand to people in need," Wang says.

He compares society to a human in which deliverymen are red blood cells optimized for the efficient transport of oxygen from the lungs to tissues and doctors are white blood cells, the body's primary defense against infections and foreign invaders.

One rider comments: "This is the first time I've heard someone speak highly of our job, which makes me proud of my work." Meanwhile, the video post has resonated, with some Douyin users saying that in a fast-paced society with rising pressures, Wang finds a way to overcome stress.

Douyin user Wenzi Xiansheng (Mr Mosquito) from Zhejiang province echoes this metaphor with a photo of him in first-aid uniform, saying that in the emergency room where he works, there are many drunk patients. He often asks where they usually go for a drink and then, after work, he goes to those places to work as a designated driver.

Wang's story hit the headlines, which puts physicians' stressful experiences and burnout under the spotlight.

Like many clinical doctors, Wang faces various challenges at work. Before working at the Changsha hospital in 2021, he attended the Xiangya School of Medicine at Central South University in Changsha and then the University of Texas in Austin in the United States for further studies. To become an attending physician, it can take five to seven years of residence training after graduating from medical school.

Aside from a gap between college and work in the first year of his career, he became upset when a paper he wrote was rejected by an influential journal, which dashed his hopes of securing an associate professorship and left him questioning his career options.

"I was deeply frustrated that day while stuck in traffic, but a deliveryman caught my attention. He weaved through the streets with ease and joy, zigzagging through the bike lane, looking so carefree," Wang recounts.

Intrigued by the idea of a temporary escape, he downloaded a delivery app that day and registered as a driver during the Dragon Boat Festival holiday in 2021. Wang got his first delivery order immediately — a bag of snacks to the residential complex of his hospital. However, the trip didn't go as smoothly as planned.

"I sent the order to the wrong building," he recalls. "It took me over an hour to fix the mistake. I ended up paying for the order out of my pocket."

Wang found the experience interesting. "It was fun to explore parts of the city I'd never seen," he says. "As a surgeon, my daily routine is pretty monotonous — home to hospital and back. But as a deliveryman, I see new neighborhoods and meet different people."

He recalls one time, at about midnight, he delivered a bag from the pharmacy to a woman still at work. "She looked tired and had health problems to worry about. Life was not easy," Wang recounts.

Although barely making any money from his side gig, Wang finds the appeal of being a deliveryman lies in its simplicity. "Everything is planned out for you by the platform — the route, the orders and the process. You don't have to think about or deal with complex interpersonal dynamics. It's a break from the mental load of my day job."

Now a resident doctor, Wang attends all the operations in the orthopedics department during his shift, with working hours from 8 am to 9 pm. With another resident doctor on the shift team, he has two weeks on and two weeks off each month. He was on duty during the recent Spring Festival holiday.

On a tight schedule, Wang sometimes takes two or three delivery orders after work as a way to reset his mind. A deliveryman for almost four years, the experience has given him a unique perspective on the often overlooked group of delivery drivers.

"Many tend to see delivery work as a low-status job but I don't," he says. "It's honest work that brings free feelings and a sense of satisfaction."

Except for his mother's safety concerns, Wang's family shows their support after seeing him happier from his part-time job. Some netizens joke that there will be a patient whose surgeon is the same man who delivers their goods.

Wang often receives calls from the hospital while delivering items."Once, I had to park temporarily on the street, review the patient's scans, call back to explain, and then continue delivering food. Sometimes I feel like my life is quite fragmented."

Despite challenges in his medical career, Wang is deeply committed to being a surgeon. "There's a profound sense of fulfillment in helping patients through surgery," he says.

For him, the delivery job isn't just a side hustle — it's a way to recharge and gain perspective. "When I'm on my scooter, it feels good to not think about surgeries or research papers. I'm just focused on the road and the next delivery."