China has blocked internet references to retired leader Jiang Zemin after rumours circulated that he had died.
Rumours that he was dead or dying resurfaced after he failed to appear at a Communist Party event on Friday.
The BBC reports the censorship has prompted people to create cryptic postings about the man who led China for a dozen years.
Though there have been no reports about Jiang Zemin, 84, on mainland China, media in Hong Kong reported his death on Wednesday night, citing unidentified sources.