Self-proclaimed qigong master attracts officials and celebrities

E-commerce leader Ma Yun and actress Zhao Wei are seen with Wang Lin.

A photo taken on July 17, 2013 shows Wang's house titled the palace. [Photo: The Beijing News]

Qigong, the ancient Chinese healing practice, has seen a revival in popularity of late, becoming one of the latest fads for celebrities. Although a number of pseudo-qigong masters have been revealed as frauds, losing much of their appeal with the public, their celebrity fan base appears to be more loyal than most.

The devotion of prominent personalities to their masters came to light recently when photos surfaced of Ma Yun (Jack Ma), the billionaire founder and ex-CEO of the Alibaba Group, visiting Wang Lin, a self-proclaimed qigong master from Pingxiang in Jiangxi Province. The reaction online was one of shock that such a successful entrepreneur could fall prey to a charlatan like Wang.

There was further consternation when other celebrities such as actor Jet Li and actress Zhao Wei also became guests of Wang Lin.

Quickly delving into the life of Wang, more alarming pictures were found in which Wang seemed to be hobnobbing with top officials including Liu Zhijun, the disgraced minister of railways, and former ministers. In one picture, former health minister Chen Minzhang was shown receiving treatment by Wang.

These seem particularly damaging given the Chinese government's long battle against superstition within its own ranks.

But the allure of celebrity clientele has helped some self-proclaimed masters survive and even thrive. Wang is now the richest man in Pingxiang, and a large part of his fortune has been built on the cult of mystery and success he has built around himself, a cult that personalities like Ma only help to solidify. He initially found popularity among locals by performing shows in which he did a number of tricks involving snakes, including seemingly killing them and bringing them back to life.

Wealth of support

Wang lives in a five-story villa that flashes huge Chinese characters "Wang's Mansion" with three Hummers and a Rolls-Royce in the yard. The Hummer cars have been seen ferrying Ma Yun and other valued guests to and from the compound, the Beijing News reported on Monday.

Wang's villa is situated right next to the Luxi county government building, the local center of power, and two floors of one wall are given over to pictures of Wang with officials and celebrities.

He has also published a book named The Chinese, a tome of pictures about his encounters with celebrities. Although the book's original retail price was 1,800 yuan ($293), its limited run has made it a prized find and one copy recently fetched 160,000 yuan online, he told the Beijing News.

This book charts Wang's rise to fame, showing him with high-ranking officials from China and Southeast Asia, ranging from the 1990s to the present day. Two pictures depict famed actress Li Bingbing, kneeling in front of Wang, with a caption reading that Li had come to recognize Wang as her godfather. When asked about the pictures, Li's agent, Li Xue, told the media that the star had turned to Wang for help in curing her mother.

After doubts began being cast by a skeptical public, one of Wang's followers took matters into his own hands. Tan Shuyao, a local entrepreneur, came to Wang's villa to express his anger at the master's doubters.

Tan told reporters that he had watched Wang's show over 200 times and was utterly convinced. He asked Wang to shut the press up by performing on the spot. Wang begged off, providing the excuse that his powers were not magic, defining them instead as traditional folklore knowledge.

However, not every follower remained as zealous as Tan. Zou Yong, a representative of Jiangxi Provincial People's Congress uncovered Wang's tricks to the media after being duped himself.

Back in 2008, Zou had become obsessed with Wang's seeming powers of reptilian resuscitation. Zou also wanted to get close to Wang to enjoy his connections to local officials. Wang acknowledged Zou's request to learn from him but the price proved steep. Wang first asked for 5 million yuan from Zou to take him on as an apprentice, before asking for expensive gifts such as luxury cars. In return, Zou was handed an old volume, containing some alleged ancient symbols and formulas, which Wang claimed were where he drew his power.

Wang provided very little hands-on guidance to Zou, instead telling him to practice alone. After trying his best to learn from the book, Zou realized that he had been fooled.