For a man who has made his name for bold, outspoken art and words, dissident Chinese artist Ai Weiwei has been curiously silent since his unexpected release from more than two months of detention.
Speaking to foreign reporters gathered outside his studio in a northeastern Beijing suburb today, a slightly thinner and tired-looking Ai said simply his health was "very good".
“I can't give any interviews because of the situation that I am in, please understand that," he said, before scurrying back inside.
His brief appearance speaks volumes about the government's success at silencing a man who had been a thorn in its side with his bitingly satirical art and criticism of contemporary China.
"It's obvious they are neutralising him - that he's not allowed to say anything about his case," said Jerome Cohen, an expert in Chinese law at New York University. "He has lost his freedom to criticise that has made him world famous. It's a very sad situation. On the other hand, for him, it's better than continuing in detention and facing what could be a very long sentence."
The foreign ministry said Mr Ai remained under investigation for suspected crimes and was not allowed to leave his residence, suggesting the government will keep up the pressure to prevent him from speaking out.
Analysts say Mr Ai's release is far from a signal of a policy shift by the ruling Communist Party. Authorities have muzzled dissent with the secretive detentions of more than 130 lawyers and activists since February, amid fears that anti-authoritarian uprisings across the Arab world could trigger unrest.
"It would be foolish to take Ai's release as evidence of a change of mind," said Nicholas Bequelin, a researcher on China for Human Rights Watch. "The government is still engaged in a broad effort to redefine and lower the limits of expression in China and you still have a huge number of people who have disappeared who are facing security charges or prosecution."
Most activists who have recently "disappeared" have been prevented from speaking out after being released.
"There were a few conditions," said rights lawyer Jiang Tianyong, referring to the terms of his release after he was seized in February by security officers and held for two months.
With Mr Ai's release, the government has cast its apparent backdown as a vindication of its case. Xinhua news agency said Ai was freed "because of his good attitude in confessing his crimes as well as a chronic disease he suffers from".
The decision to release Mr Ai, who had a hand in designing the Bird's Nest stadium for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, came just days before premier Wen Jiabao heads to Europe, where Britain and Germany have criticised Mr Ai's detention.
Mr Ai has spoken out on everything from last year's award of the Nobel Peace Prize to dissident Liu Xiaobo to internet curbs.
The foreign ministry has said Ai (54), is being investigated on suspicion of economic crimes, but police have issued no formal notice to explain why he is being held. Mr Ai's family says the allegations are an excuse to silence his criticism.