From November 1 to 11, postal and express delivery enterprises across China handled a total of 3.965 billion parcels, of which 675 million were handled on Nov. 11 (or Singles' Day) alone, an increase of 26.16 percent over the same period last year and an all-time high, according to monitoring data from the State Post Bureau.

Employees work at an airmail distribution center of China Post in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province, on Nov. 10, 2020. (Xinhua/Deng Hua)

China's Singles' Day on Nov.11 is the world's biggest 24-hour online shopping event. This year's Singles' Day also signifies the start of the peak season for China’s postal express industry, which is from early November to the eve of the Spring Festival in 2021 (Feb. 12). During this period a series of promotions on various e-commerce platforms is expected to lead to a significant increase in express delivery business.

According to predictions, from Nov. 11 to Nov. 16, the business volume will reach 2.97 billion packages, an increase of about 28 percent over the same period last year, and the average daily express business volume will reach 490 million, about twice the volume on usual days.

In order to meet the growing needs of people for a better life and to do a good job in ensuring all the work is completed during this year's peak season, China's postal express industry has carried out a great deal of preparation work in terms of personnel, transport capacity, venues, processing equipment, information systems, and so on.

An official at the State Post Bureau said that the postal express industry has gained a good deal of experience, and its ability to cope with the peak has seen great improvements. However, due to the rapid increase in volume of business during the Singles' Day period, express enterprises, especially couriers, have come under greater pressure.