After failing to run his own business, Yao Zhigang went on to become a top-performing deliveryman. Yao, 51, said he has always believed a man who falls down must get back up with an optimistic mindset, no matter where he is.

Yao delivered about 1,580 orders during his first month on the job in Changsha, Hunan province, the most of any other worker at the Hongxing station of Meituan, an online food delivery platform.

In March, he was promoted to the head of the station due to his outstanding delivery performance and management skills.

"I am excited when my order requests are full! The feeling of rushing to deliver food is just like fighting a fire," he said, recalling his days as a firefighter in Shanghai.

Indeed, Yao, from Changzhou, Jiangsu province, has worn various hats over the course of his life.

In 1993, he was assigned to a branch of a State-owned bank in Changzhou.

A year later, he was promoted to the head of the branch for his outstanding performance.

"When I worked in the bank, I dressed in a suit and tie every day and had a bright appearance. But it was actually not easy," he said.

"I had various tasks, and I usually had to accompany customers to have meals and drinks after work. After doing that for 20 years, I felt very tired."

Yao considered resigning and starting his own business, and his wife supported him. His mother, however, was strongly opposed to the idea.

"She wanted me to remain in that stable post because I could retire after working for another 10 years," he said.

Nevertheless, Yao quit his bank job in 2017 and went to Gansu province to set up a building materials factory with a friend. He invested more than 2 million yuan ($300,000) in the effort, an amount that included bank loans and money he borrowed from his mother-in-law.

Despite his efforts, Yao and his partner didn't earn enough money to keep the factory operational. They closed the company two years later, and Yao's partner invited him to seek work in his hometown, Changsha, early last year.

"I do not regret my decision, but I feel sorry for my family," he said. "I still haven't repaid the money to my mother-in-law, and my mother has to be taken care of by my younger brother since I arrived in Changsha," he said.

Humiliated by his failure, Yao refused to return to his hometown. He was too embarrassed to go back and ask his friends to help him find a job. Instead, he spent time hanging out on the streets, thinking about what to do next.

It didn't take long for inspiration to strike.

Yao has a habit of running 10 kilometers every day, and he discovered that could benefit him if he were to become a deliveryman. He submitted his resume to Meituan and was recruited.

"If I was in my hometown where so many people know me, I wouldn't do this work. Being a rider in a strange city, there is no need for me to avoid the judging eyes of people who know me," he said.

Yao keeps long hours. Every day, he gets up at 7 am and works until about 11 pm.

Still ashamed, he initially kept his new job a secret. "Except for my son, I didn't tell anyone about my job at first. He advised me not to work so hard and said he could support me with his income. I was very moved," Yao said.

His experience as a firefighter has also helped him adapt to the delivery work quickly.

He credited the observational skills he learned from the experience－he needed to take note of his surrounding environment, the distribution range of the restaurants' locations and the entrances and terrains of the communities he drove to.

Such skills prevent him from getting lost and enable him to deliver things faster than others.

Like many riders, he has had his share of hiccups with clients. He once sent an order of takeout food to the sixth floor, but the client refused to accept it unless Yao helped him collect a package on the first floor.

Without argument, Yao rushed to collect the package, and the unreasonable requirement cost him 20 minutes, resulting in the delay of his next order.

"Over time, I have grown to genuinely enjoy delivery work. I feel that delivering takeout is like putting out fires. When the food arrives at the destination in time, I have a sense of achievement," he said.

Yao said he is the oldest among his team, but he gets along well with his younger co-workers.

"I am still young both physically and mentally, and I can keep going on the path I selected," he said.

Zhu Youfang contributed to this story.