PLEASE NOTE: EDIT CONTAINS MATERIAL THAT WAS ORIGINALLY 4:3

At least one person died in the series of explosions outside a Communist party building in the northern Chinese city of Taiyuan.

State media says another eight were wounded, one of them seriously.

The official Xinhua news agency says what appeared to be several small bombs went off.

There was no immediate explanation for the attack.

Government officials said police were investigating.

But such incidents aren't uncommon in China facing a widening gap between rich and poor and growing anger over corruption and environmental issues.

Last week five people died in Beijing when a car crashed into bystanders in Tiananmen Square and burst into flames.

That and this latest incident have come as China tightens security ahead of Saturday's meeting of top leaders to talk about key reforms.