In a country of 1.4 billion people, waiting in line isn't just an inconvenience—it's an industry. China has spawned a thriving ecosystem of professional line-sitters who will endure the queue so you don't have to, typically charging between $3 and $5 per hour.

The Queue Economy

Apps like Paopao (跑腿, meaning "running errands") connect impatient customers with people willing to stand for hours at hospitals, government offices, popular restaurants, and product launches. During Apple releases, professional queuers have been known to camp overnight for premium payouts.

The math makes sense for both sides. A white-collar worker earning $30/hour can pay someone $5 to wait three hours at the DMV equivalent, saving both time and sanity. For the line-sitter, it's easy money requiring nothing but patience and a charged phone.

Why Lines Are So Long in China

Several factors fuel demand:

Hospital appointments at top-tier facilities can require overnight queuing
Government paperwork often means half-day waits
Trending restaurants regularly see 2-4 hour waits for bubble tea or hot pot
Limited product drops attract scalpers and genuine fans alike

The cultural phenomenon of排队 (páiduì, queuing) has become so intense that some restaurants weaponize it as marketing—if there's no line, people assume the food isn't worth eating.

Not Just a Chinese Thing

While China has industrialized the practice, line-sitting exists globally. In the U.S., services like TaskRabbit offer similar queue proxies, and professional line-sitters outside Supreme stores can earn hundreds per drop. Washington D.C. has linestanding.com, where people get paid to hold spots for congressional hearings.

The difference in China is scale and normalization. What might seem eccentric elsewhere is simply practical here—an accepted part of urban life where time is money and lines are eternal.

The Gig Workers

Who takes these jobs? Often students, retirees, or gig workers between deliveries. Some line-sitters develop specializations—hospital queuers who know exactly when to arrive, or tech launch veterans who've mastered the overnight camp.

The work isn't glamorous. You might stand for six hours in summer heat or winter cold. But for many, it beats food delivery, and the barrier to entry is simply showing up.

In China's hypercompetitive cities, someone figured out that time itself could be outsourced. And in a society where a doctor's appointment might require a 4 AM arrival, that innovation isn't weird—it's survival.

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