In the workshop of Zhejiang Chentai Technology Co., Ltd., the sight of National People's Congress deputy and senior engineer Hu Dongfang bending down to communicate with workers is a familiar scene on the production line. Having risen from an ordinary worker to become a "master mold maker," Hu has dedicated over 30 years of his career to the pursuit of 0.01-millimeter precision. He has also integrated this dedication into his official duties, making "striving for excellence" a vivid footnote in his contributions to high-quality development.
"Love your work, specialize in it, and delve deep into it"—this simple phrase encapsulates Hu Dongfang's understanding of what it means to be a "master craftsman of the nation." A small patented double-thread screw, improved by him, saves the company over ten million yuan in costs annually. This commitment to technology has not only earned him more than 40 authorized invention patents but has also given him a deep understanding of the expectations of frontline workers.
Since being elected as an NPC deputy in 2023, Hu Dongfang's focus has consistently remained on the well-being of ordinary workers. For three consecutive years, he has concentrated on new employment groups, starting with a "green revolution" in express packaging and progressing to proposals for establishing a practitioner database and creating "delivery rider homes" as service hubs. His suggestions have become increasingly specific.
In recent years, new business formats represented by the platform economy have emerged, involving many industries such as catering, delivery, logistics, sanitation, education, and retail. Approximately 84 million people in China have become workers in new forms of employment, most of whom are under the age of 35. "Courier brothers," "food delivery riders," and "ride-hailing drivers" are representative figures of this group.
To understand the real circumstances of this large workforce, Hu Dongfang visited more than ten companies, walked delivery routes with couriers, and shared meals with food delivery riders in their canteens. This "immersive" research allowed him to genuinely experience their relentless pace—"no rest across the seasons, irregular meals, and non-stop movement."
"New employment groups are the creators and guardians of a better life; they cannot be left behind on the journey toward common prosperity," Hu stated. As the 2026 National People's Congress approaches, Hu has once again proposed strengthening the protection of rights and interests for workers in new forms of employment. He suggests improving the occupational injury protection system to provide an "umbrella of rights" for this significant workforce.
Through his research, Hu found that while these workers support individual livelihoods and underpin societal efficiency and public well-being, they face a "vacuum zone" in rights protection, with urgent practical challenges. Unreasonable platform algorithms and labor rules, for instance, exacerbate income instability; low-price competition and operational irregularities harm their rights; and the lack of occupational injury coverage magnifies their occupational risks.
How can this group secure work, protection, and dignity? Hu recommends focusing on core rights such as fair remuneration, rest periods, labor safety, and transparency and participation in algorithmic decisions. He emphasizes the leading role of major platform companies in setting examples to drive more standardized and healthier industry-wide development. He also proposes building a new framework for labor dispute resolution that integrates online and offline channels and involves multiple stakeholders, refining complaint and penalty rules, and encouraging platforms to use service improvement periods instead of simple fines. Furthermore, he advocates for enhancing the occupational injury protection system by comprehensively rolling out a coverage scheme for workers in new employment forms, building on pilot programs.
"Ensuring the city's warmth precisely reaches every hardworking laborer reflects the depth of a proposal's significance," Hu Dongfang remarked.
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