Meituan has denied a rumor that the company will no longer give orders to couriers aged over 45,?? ??? ?? according to local media outlet Yicai. A Meituan spokesperson told the outlet that the firm hires couriers aged between 18 to 57, taking into consideration safety factors related to the delivery process. It says some hiring stations may recruit older individuals. Social media has been awash with a phenomenon known as the “curse of 35”, referring to a fear that those aged 35 and older are likely to face job cuts. The food delivery giant has not disclosed a recent breakdown of its riders by age, but official data from early 2020 shows that male riders account for 93.3% of the total while more than 83.7% of riders are aged between 20 and 40. [Yicai, in Chinese]