Deng Reappears on China Television After 7 Weeks

Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping reappeared on Chinese television Saturday after an absence of more than seven weeks.

The evening news show on China’s state-owned television network showed Deng, 81, spending the beginning of the lunar New Year’s celebration in his home province of Sichuan. A press account said Deng had received 600 local officials in the Sichuan capital of Chengdu.

Last month, Peking-based diplomats were told that Deng was sick and did not want to meet foreign visitors for a couple of months. The nature and extent of the illness were not described. Chinese officials denied the report and said Deng was in good health.

The Chinese leader had not been seen either in public or on television since Dec. 14, when he met in Peking with former Vice President Walter F. Mondale. It was the longest stretch of time Deng has remained out of public view since he gained effective control of the Communist Party seven years ago.

During at least three of the last four winters, Deng has left the cold weather of Peking in January or February for a vacation in Guangdong province in southern China.

The Chinese news reports Saturday did not mention where Deng has been. The televised footage showed him on his feet with an aide standing close beside him. There was no mention of any health problems.

The Chinese press account said Deng had met with leaders of the Communist Party, the People’s Liberation Army, the local government, democratic parties, and teachers, workers, peasants and students. It did not say when he plans to return to Peking.

In Peking and other Chinese cities, people prepared to welcome the Year of the Tiger, which begins today, following the Year of the Ox. Families gathered for reunions and feasts, and exchanging of gifts. The lunar new year brings Chinese a four-day holiday, the longest of the year.