An online rumor that accused Lu Ming, deputy head of Shanghai's Pudong district, of owning a 2,000-square-meter villa in the city's Chongming county was denied by the local government on Sunday.

"It's a two-story house built on a lot of 110 square meters," said Bao Chun, head of Fukang village in Chongming's Xianghua town, where the property is located.

The house was legally approved by the local government, and Lu went through the complete procedures when it was built in 2008, he added.