China's Xi takes a taxi: the news story that rocked the web

China on Thursday vehemently denied media reports of a seemingly banal tale that has spread like wildfire on the web -- that President Xi Jinping took a taxi in Beijing.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, pictured at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on April 12, 2013

According to a report by the Hong Kong newspaper Takungpao on Thursday, Xi, accompanied by another man, took a taxi on March 1 across Beijing to his hotel -- without any official escort.

This is big news in China where members of the ruling Communist party are perceived as disconnected to daily life, surrounded by security and extremely unlikely to make such a banal journey.

Xi reportedly chatted with the taxi driver about the state of pollution in China before the driver asked: "Has anyone ever told you you like a lot like General Secretary Xi?"

The Chinese leader replied: "You are the first to have recognised me."

With the ride costing 27 yuan ($4.4, 3.3 euros), Xi paid 30 yuan and told the driver, Gui Lixin -- whose face and name have since graced web pages around the world -- to keep the change.

The quirky transport tale was picked up by media from the UK and US, with many Chinese praising Xi's efforts at normality.

But despite Xi's actions getting a thumbs-up, the official Xinhua agency issued a strong statement denying the story Thursday.

"After verifying, the report published on April 18 by Hong Kong's Takungpao... is false," Xinhua said.

Takungpao itself said in a statement: "We are deeply upset and sorry at the publication of an erroneous report, due to our negligence."

On Thursday, keyword searches using the words "Jinping" and "taxi" were blocked and a number of related articles had been deleted.