74-year old Jia Qinglin, former Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and then the fourth-ranked Communist Party official when he retired last year, made a public appearance on July 16 in his native Hebei province in what is widely viewed as an attempt to dismiss a rumour that he has been under detention. Jia Qinglin visited Changshou Mountain in the city of Qinhuangdao on July 16 morning. Pictures were circulated in a forum on hebnews.cn, the official news portal of the Hebei government, and online on Weibo. A customer service employee of the mountain’s tourism site said that Jia Qinglin had appeared at the tourist site for about an hour and many tourists saw him. Beidaihe, a favourite summer retreat for party elite, is under the jurisdiction of Qinhuangdao and CCP leaders normally meet there each August.