(ECNS) -- In China, an increasing number of parcels are being delivered via high-speed trains and airplanes. Delivery times have significantly improved from next-day and same-day to even half-day delivery.
In southwest China's Sichuan Province, a consumer surnamed Jiang received a bouquet she ordered from a livestream the previous day.
The flowers originated from Asia's largest flower market in Kunming, Yunnan, over 1,000 kilometers away, where more than 20 million sprays are traded daily, accounting for 75 percent of China's total flower trade.
After preliminary trimming, packaging, and consolidation, the flowers were loaded onto a high-speed train departing Kunming for Chengdu in the early morning. Just four hours later, the bouquet had arrived in Chengdu and was delivered to Jiang.
With rising order volumes, the industry's core priorities are higher efficiency and lower costs.
According to CCTV, in China, at every second, more than 5,700 parcels are generated on average. On the busiest day, over 729 million parcels were processed.
At a sorting center in Wujiang City, Jiangsu Province, with the help of AI and visual recognition technologies, more than 30 parcels are sorted every second. Fast-moving conveyor belts, smart detectors that track each package's path, and yellow delivery robots all ensure precise and efficient handling.
While intelligent tech is enhancing the sorting process, unmanned delivery vehicles are also transforming logistics.
At a manufacturing workshop in Anyang, Henan Province, workers assemble frames and wheels, while automated guided vehicles move efficiently along preset paths. The streamlined process allows a new unmanned delivery vehicle to roll off the production line every 10 minutes.
According to China's State Post Bureau, by the end of 2024, the nation had 1,300 major postal and courier sorting centers, with over 90 percent of them automated, greatly improving efficiency and reducing costs.
(By Gong Weiwei)