For weeks, a mysterious microblog has been lifting a veil from around China's new leader, Xi Jinping, with candid snapshots from his travels that defy the staged images of the leadership presented in media.

Ordinary Chinese and even China's media have speculated over who or what might be behind the blog. It turns out he's a college dropout and migrant worker, Zhang Hongming.

He started the 'Fan Club of Learning From Xi' on China's Twitter-like Sina Weibo on November 21 with the thought: Like other foreign leaders in these times, Chinese leaders should have an online following.

The account shares photos gathered from volunteers and reports throughout the country of Xi on his visits out in the field, and the candid images aren't always flattering. There are shots of him visiting a vegetable market, serving food to the elderly. One shows him napping in a van.