Qin Tingqun and Chen Yiqun are not only husband and wife, they are also work colleagues — perhaps workplace partners is a better description — who deliver goods together. They both work for the SF Express station in Keyuan'erlu, in Yuzhou Road Subdistrict, Jiulongpo District, in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. The couple has been married for three decades, and they have worked at the same express-delivery station for more than 10 years.
They repeat the same routine every day: Wake up, head to work, ride their small vehicle as they collect and deliver parcels in the areas neighboring the station, and then head home to rest at night. They wouldn't have it any other way. For Qin and Chen, who consider themselves to be ordinary couriers, the warm, and timely, services they provide others form touching moments in their daily lives.
A small delivery vehicle, with a carriage smaller than two square meters, but filled with parcels, appears in the same alley, in Keyuan'erlu, every day. For more than a decade, Qin and Chen have been the best pair of coworkers — more importantly, the best companions — as they have driven that small vehicle to deliver and pick up parcels.
Earlier this year, Qin and Chen's family was designated a "Most Beautiful Family" in 2025. The 10 recipient families, from nationwide, were named by the Publicity Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the All-China Women's Federation in May.
Learning from Parents' Generation
Qin's hometown is Shuanghui, a village in Daxie, a town in Shizhu, a county in Chongqing. His father, Qin Zhonghai, is an artisan known in the village for his excellent stone-handiwork skills. When Qin Tingqun was young, he often watched as his father helped neighbors repair bridges or pave roads. "Being kind to others, and lending a helping hand to those in need" were among the moral virtues Qin Tingqun learned from his parents.
"I began realizing the importance of shouldering a responsibility for my family when I was in primary school. My mother accidentally broke her leg when she worked on a mountain. I carried her, on my back, to our village's clinic. From that moment, I knew I ought to share some of the housework to ease Mom's burden," Qin Tingqun recalls. Now, whenever he encounters difficulties, whether in his family life or in the workplace, he always thinks about his courage to cope with the problem.
Qin Tingqun began working as a courier in 2008. Initially, he was one of 12 couriers who delivered parcels to a dozen office buildings in Chongqing's Gaoxin District. "At that time, we wrote the delivery order bill for each parcel. I wrote down the area codes of various districts, repeatedly, after I returned home from work every night. That seemingly simple method ensured I memorized the area codes of cities across our country," Qin Tingqun says.
Influenced by his father's generation, Qin Tingqun has done his best to help people in need. As winter approaches, each year, he remembers to visit senior citizens who live alone as he delivers the parcels. He also strives to always be an honest and kindhearted person.
Best Companions
After seeing how hard her husband worked each day, Chen in 2010 decided to quit her job, at a supermarket, to join Qin Tingqun as a courier. "I knew how much effort he put into providing delivery services. When I heard his company was recruiting more workers, I wanted to join the team and help my husband," Chen recalls. So, since 2010, the couple has been working at the same express-delivery station.
As dusk begins to fall, each day, Qin Tingqun can be seen pushing his delivery vehicle, loaded down with parcels, through the alley in Keyuan'erlu. Chen follows along, double-checking the order bills they received during the day. They are each other's best partner, in both the workplace and in their family life. No matter what happens, they both know they will back each other.
Chen says the parcels sometimes symbolize "warm hope" for the recipients. Although working as a delivery person is often tiring, Chen says the job is worthwhile. "For example, if a parcel contains medicine for an elderly person, who lives alone, or books for a child, awaiting education materials, the parcel has special meaning for its recipient," Chen explains.
Even though Qin Tingqun and Chen work together all day, and return home as a family each evening, the couple cannot get enough of each other. Does all that togetherness lead to quarrels? "He is quiet and peaceful — all the time! He never quarrels with me," Chen says, with a smile. Qin Tingqun and Chen have an agreement: Talk to each other, patiently, especially when they are with their children.
Qin Tingqun says Chen is one of the warmest people in the world. "She likes to smile, no matter how hard she works every day. She is always smiling when she greets our customers. After she completes the day's work, she rushes home to cook for our family." Qin Tingqun is proud of his wife.
Chen is honest, and a meticulous worker; for example, she takes copious notes, to record the needs of their more than 200 regular customers. Such a simple deed reflects her sincere care for the customers.
Helping Next Generation 'Blossom'
Once, when Qin Tingqun's son, Qin Bo, was in middle school, he listened to his father recalling the old days. Qin Tingqun told his son: "I, your Dad, was growing up on a mountain in Shizhu County. When I was a child, I dreamed about relocating my home to a place near the national highway connecting my hometown to the world outside the mountain. Now, your Mom and I work tirelessly every day. Our biggest wish is that you and your sister will lead a much better life."
His father's words helped Qin Bo realize his parents had not had an easy life. Qin Bo had the support of his parents when he applied to join his school's swimming team. He trained hard, and he won the third prize during a district-level competition. He cooked dinner for his family to celebrate his victory.
Now, Qin Bo is a professional landscape designer. His younger sister, Qin Rui, is a student at Chongqing Vocational College of Economics and Trade. She has inherited her parents' warmhearted spirit; as such, she participates in various volunteer activities.
"Our family is nothing more than an ordinary Chinese family. It is filled with love and warmth. My wife and I do our best to support the family. We hope to pass our family's virtues, of being kind to others and lending a helping hand, to our children, to help the next generation blossom like flowers. We also hope our children will make their own contributions to society," Qin Tingqun says.
Photos from Interviewees
(Women of China English Monthly November 2025)
Editor: Wang Shasha
