Qin Yuhai, top Henan official held, graft watchdog says

Qin Yuhai, 61, was being investigated for "serious violations of party discipline and the law" - a phrase that usually refers to corruption - the party's Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) said.

Qin, the party chief of the provincial People's Congress Standing Committee, is the latest official at the level of vice-governor to be ensnared by an anti-corruption campaign launched by President Xi Jinping after taking office in late 2012.

After spending his early career in the Communist Party Youth League in his native Heilongjiang province, Qin relocated to Henan in 1998 and became the mayor of the coal-mining city of Jiaozuo , according to his official resume. He was promoted to deputy governor of Henan and head of the provincial public security bureau in 2004.

Qin, an avid photographer, has held exhibitions in Paris, it was reported.

He made his last public appearance earlier this month.