TOKYO -- Not unlike the Papal Conclave convened to elect the Pope, China's annual summer gathering at the beach resort of Beidaihe, in Hebei Province, is cloaked in secrecy.
Fragments of information from Chinese state media signal that this year's Beidaihe meeting is going on for longer than usual and that President Xi Jinping may be facing criticism for his policies.
China up close
Smoke at China's annual conclave signals political trouble for Xi
Zhou Enlai's advice from 1974: Never fall, never leave, never choose death
Read Next
Latest on China up close
