A day in the life of a rural official in Beijing

Zhang Yu, 28, has worked as a village official in Beijing's countryside for more than two years. Xiaopu village, where he now works, is the central village of Songzhuang, known far and wide as China's largest artist colony. A recent record of a day in his life by METRO reporter Qin Zhongwei shows it ranges from the mundane to the rewarding:

2 am: watch a match

At an hour when everyone in the village, including Zhang, is usually fast asleep, he awakes to watch Barcelona play Real Madrid. The only hobby he has kept since he graduated from China University of Political Science and Law, his passion for football continues, but now he watches quietly by himself instead of cheering and shouting together with his roommates.