Employees by day, tourists by night

Hundreds of thousands of women choose to become domestic workers in Beijing. Most do the work because wages in the metropolis are higher than in other cities, but for some, the work offers an opportunity for domestic tourism and a chance to broaden their horizons in China's ancient capital.

Ding Surong is a retired primary school teacher from the outskirts of Hegang city, Heilongjiang province. The 60-year-old was once employed as a domestic worker in Harbin while her daughter attended university in the city, the provincial capital.

The single mother chose domestic work because she was under pressure as a result of supporting her daughter through university, but her decision to pursue the same line of work in Beijing was mainly due to her curiosity about the city.