Yao Ming public appearance in Beijing [July 13, 2011]

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Yao Ming answers no questions about his retirement

Yao Ming declined to talk about his retirement when he appeared in Beijing Wednesday afternoon.

American media reported Yao's plan to retire from basketball on the 9th of this month, but Yao or his team haven’t yet responded to the reports.

Yao showed up in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing to participate in a public benefit activity patronized by Han Hong, a famous Chinese pop song star, for her hometown in Tibet. Yao became the focus of the media immediately upon his appearance. However, Yao declined all forms of interviews from the media.

Yao came to Beijing from Shanghai. He walked normally and showed an easy posture, without any obvious problem with his injuries. He also teased with Han Hong and Zhang Ziyi, a movie superstar, and expressed his wish that he would hold or take part in all sorts of public benefit activities.

“It is of great help and is an inspiration for my future public welfare endeavors. I really appreciate having such an opportunity here where we can exchange ideas and learn from each other. I hope that I can have more opportunities like this in future,” said Yao Ming.

Offstage Yao kept a very low profile. He sat quietly at a corner waiting for his turn to go onstage and declined to have photos taken with his fans. Yao’s assistant told reporters that Yao would hold a press conference in Shanghai on the 20th of this month, when he would announce whether or not he would retire and talk about his future plans.