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SF-2026-001079UnverifiedParanormal & NHI

Scientific Approach to Qigong and So Called Paranormal Phenomena

This CIA-archived paper argues that extensive experimental data collected in China during the 1980s document qigong-linked phenomena that allegedly contradict current physics. After a brief description of qigong—the flow of a substance called 'qi' through acupuncture-like meridian channels reached through meditative practice—it profiles master Zhang Baosheng, born 1955, employed at the Institute of Space Medico-Engineering (ISME). The authors detail an experiment on July 10, 1988 at the China Institute of Atomic Energy, supervised by co-author Dr. Li and attended by ISME director Prof. Chen Hsin and about 30 spectators. Reported feats include reading sealed envelope contents, moving a coin into a folded envelope, 'transferring' text onto Scotch tape, breaking a watch and extracting its hands through Dr. Li's skin, burning a shirt by touch, and extracting tablets and superconductor samples through sealed glass and plastic bottles. Subsequent analysis with trace detectors, Mössbauer spectroscopy, and electron microscopy reportedly found no microscopic alterations. The article also cites qigong master Dr. Yan Xin (born 1950), including claimed alteration of Raman spectra from 2,000 km away, and references Chinese scientists Qian Xuesen, C. Y. Chao, and G. C. Wang. The paper calls for cross-disciplinary study and English translation of Chinese literature. Claims are presented by the authors as documented but are scientifically disputed and unverified.

cia.govIncident Jul 10, 1988Released Aug 11, 2000Discovered Jul 4, 20261.1 MBdocument
sha256:e4ebd18df8189ecb58af

Description

A ~4,900-word English-language scientific article by Qingli Li and W. H. Trzaska describing Chinese experiments on qigong and 'paranormal' abilities, centered on a July 1988 test of purported psychokinetic 'penetration' by qigong master Zhang Baosheng at the China Institute of Atomic Energy. Held in the CIA CREST reading-room collection.

Claims

  • Post-test analysis (trace detectors, Mössbauer, electron microscopy) revealed no microscopic or structural alterations in the samples.

    50%
  • By the end of the 1980s roughly 20 million Chinese were practicing qigong.

    45%
  • By the end of the 1980s about 20 million Chinese were practicing qigong.

    40%
  • Subsequent laboratory analysis (trace detectors, Mössbauer spectroscopy, electron microscopy) revealed no microscopic or nuclear alterations in the samples.

    40%
  • During the 1980s extensive experimental data was collected in China documenting qigong-linked phenomena that contradict current understanding of physics.

    30%
  • A qigong meditative state constitutes a distinct third physiological phase, differing from sleep and wakefulness across ~30 monitored parameters.

    30%
  • These qigong phenomena contradict present understanding of physics and warrant a major scientific effort.

    20%
  • On July 10, 1988 at the China Institute of Atomic Energy, Zhang Baosheng caused tablets, superconductor samples, and other objects to pass out of sealed bottles without visible damage to the containers.

    20%
  • Zhang Baosheng extracted the hands of a watch through Dr. Li's closed hand and skin without causing pain.

    12%
  • On July 10, 1988 at the China Institute of Atomic Energy, Zhang Baosheng psychokinetically extracted objects (tablets, superconductor samples) through sealed glass and plastic bottles without damage.

    10%
  • 400 frames-per-second photography documented a marked medical pill penetrating glass without destroying glass or pill.

    10%
  • Dr. Yan Xin temporarily altered the Raman-shift spectra of samples by 'sending qi' from a distance of 2000 km.

    10%

Events

  1. Dec 31, 1975

    Zhang Baosheng first demonstrates ability

    Zhang reportedly reads a sealed letter and a closed business file, initiating scrutiny of his abilities.

  2. Jul 9, 1988

    China Institute of Atomic Energy qigong experiment

    Controlled test of Zhang Baosheng's claimed psychokinetic penetration and clairvoyance, supervised by Dr. Li with ~30 spectators.

  3. Aug 10, 2000

    CIA release/approval

    Document approved for release under stamp 'Approved For Release 2000/08/11'.

  4. Dec 31, 1975

    Zhang Baosheng discovers/demonstrates his abilities

    Zhang reportedly first demonstrated reading the contents of sealed items in 1976.

  5. Jul 9, 1988

    Qigong experiment at China Institute of Atomic Energy

    Controlled experiment before ~30 spectators testing Zhang Baosheng's claimed clairvoyance and psychokinetic penetration of sealed bottles, supervised by Dr. Li.

  6. Aug 10, 2000

    CIA approval for release

    Document approved for release into the CIA reading room.

Dates mentioned

1988-07-1019762000-08-11199019791986

Keywords

Entities

Extracted text (OCR)
Approved For Release 2000/08/11 : CIA-RDP96-00792R000300400002-9 Ag /) ae

Scientific Approach to Qigong and So Cailed Paranormal Phenomena

Qingli Li and W. H. Trzaska

(Contains approximately 4900 words)

Abstract:

During 1980s an extensive amount of experimental data has been
collected in China documenting the whole range of strange
phenomena that have been linked to the ancient practice known as
qigong. These experiments are of fundamental importance to the
scientific community because they contradict our present
understanding of physics. One of such experiments is described in
detail, preceded by brief description of qigong. The aim of this
‘ article is to focus the attention of the scientists on the
‘puzzling discoveries made in China and to stimulate cross-
disciplinary, coordinated effort that may lead to the new
scientific revolution surpassing even the breakthroughs of the
first half of the XX century. On top of its. challenge to physics
gigong has already made an important impact oh traditional

medicine by providing seemingly miraculous ways to heal and a

simple yet effective set of preventive exercises.

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Introduction

Far East, and especially China, have preserved to this days
many useful skills and practices, developed and perfected over
millennia, that only now are gaining recognition in the West. Not
long ago a report about achieving, by means of inserting skin-
deep a few tiny needles into the patient's body, a sufficient
degree of anesthesia required to perform appendectomy would meet
with laugh and total disbelieve. Yet, at present, nobody laughs
at acupuncture any more. This ancient art of healing is slowly
but steadily gaining world-wide replication even though we are

still far from the full understanding on how and why it works.

Over a decade now has passed since China emerged from the
disasters of the cultural revolution. With a gradual departure
from the strict doctrine and the rigid traditional view-point,
China moved toward a more open society. With the mechanism of
repression eased, people who once feared to show their unusual
abilities are more open in their practices. Those in turn,
uncensored by the media, lead to new discoveries and stimulate
public interest. By the end of the 1980s there were already some
20 million Chinese practicing qigong. Most of them working
towards small improvements of their mental and physical health
with modest but noticeable degree of success. There is however a
handful of well-known qigong masters displaying well documented

abilities that are indeed beyond anyone's comprehension. At

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first, lets leave these extreme cases away and concentrate on

more common aspects of qigong.

Brief description of qigong

It is very difficult to give any modern theory or even a
consistent description of gigong. Clearly, this 2,500 year old
practice is documented in a way very foreign to the scientific
vocabulary to which we are used to. There are also various
schools of gigong stressing different forms of practice to

achieve specific results.

In general gigong concerns the flow of a certain substance
called qi (hence qigong - the gi ability). A steady flow of this
substance in the human body insures good health and internal
happiness. By channeling gi into a person through the "meridian
._ channels" that, incidentally, coincide with those of acupuncture,
illness or malfunction can be cured. Steady flow of qi can be
obtained by daily concentration and balancing exercises
accompanied by a slow motion of the arms, legs and the whole
body. At some point of such regular practice, typically several
months later, the adept will start moving on his own, without an-
apparent intent. Just as if the limbs would know themselves how
to move, independent of the brain. This is the second stage of

qigong practice. Yet more practice gives the ability to elevate

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oneself on a regular and controlled basis into a meditative
state. A strange condition that can be described as a feeling of
freshness, energy and serenity. Transforming oneself, even for a
few minutes, into the meditative state helps to fight fatigue,
hunger, pain, sleepiness. At the same time, if performed just
before intended rest, it assures a deep and regenerating sleep.
This third stage of qigong can be reached with the total amount
of effort and practice comparable with learning and mastering of
a new sport - swimming, horse riding or tennis. Similarly as with
sports, the earlier in your life one starts, the faster the

progress and the better the results.

.

Apparently, some people produce gi in sufficient abundance
to be able to emit it. Depending on the magnitude of such
emission we can try to estimate the likelihood of this ability at
something between few in a hundred to few in a million. People
known to emit qi are callea qigong masters. A qigong master can
‘help a new adept to go directly to the second stage ef gigong

practice without the long months of tedious exercise.

Even if it were no more to qigong than something of an
alternative to other fitness exercises, it is well worth
popularizing as it stresses the neglected side of our strive
toward a healthy life style. Qigong can be as beneficial to our
often racked nerves as jogging is to our hearts and lungs. In

that sense this newly rediscovered practice can be compared to

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yoga although it is easier to exercise than difficult stretching

postures of its Indian counterpart.

The fast growing popularity of qigong in China has been
accelerated by the fame of a few individuals capable of
performing various supernatural tasks ranging from healing to
psychokinesis. These supernatural abilities were tested in
various elaborate experiments and are well documented in Chinese

scientific journals [1-10].:

Mr. Zhang Baosheng

Born in 1955 in Najing, Zhang Baosheng received some basic
education and worked in a local factory. Apparently he did not
distinguish himself in any way until one day, when handing to the
coworker a letter, he tasually mentioned what is written in it.
Angry coworker, suspecting the message from his girl-friend has
been steam opened, read, and resealed, complained to the manager.
When confronted with the supervisor, Zhang Baosheng seemed
sincerely surprised that not everybody can read through the cover
and immediately demonstrated his ability by telling the contains
of a closed business file picked at random by the baffled

manager.
Since that event in 1976 Zhang Baosheng's abilities were

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scrutinized by various committees and institutions including
China's prestigious Institute of Space Medico-Engeneering (ISME)
where he is currently employed. His extraordinary skills allow
him, among other, to remove small objects including live, marca
insects from a sealed bottle, burn cloth with a touch of his
hands or fingers, restore a torn card, or write a message on a
paper sealed in a box. Countless tests were performed, all under
tightly controlled conditions, and their results published
without a single account of an attempted fraud. The bulk of
evidence includes a 400 frames per second photographic
documentation showing a marked medical pill penetrating glass

©

(without destruction neither of the glass, nor of the pill).

In fact, the authorities from ISME have total control over
the access to Mr. Zhang Baosheng. His employment at the defense
related institution means that even the most senior Chinese
scientist are required special permission to approach Mr. Zhang.
-gimilarly, only by submitting research proposals is it possible
to suggest new means of studying his abilities. Actually,
proposals aimed exclusively at checking with yet more refined
techniques whether his accomplishments are faked are not being
approved any more. With all the evidence in place the present

experimental effort concentrates on the mechanism of these

unexplained phenomena.

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Experiment

The experiment that was done on July 10, 1988 at the China
Institute of Atomic Energy belongs to this second category of
experiments. Although precautions were taken to rule out any
foreseeable tricks, the main goal was to look for possible
microscopic alterations in the sample and obstacle materials
involved in the already well proven psychokinetic penetration
effect. The main results of this experiment, initiated and
supervised by one of the authors of this article (Dr. Li), are
published [11] in Atomic Energy Science and Technology (in
Chinese). This time, we shall try to provide more details and
some background information that may be helpful to a reader

unfamiliar with gigong and related phenomena.

Mr. Zhang arrived at the Institute accompanied by Prof. Chen
Hsin - the director of the ISME and a renowned specialist in
. somatic science research. The tests were done in a small lecture
room filled with over 30 spectators. At the front Mr. Zhang and
the senior investigators were seated at the table facing the
audience. Dr. Li was seated right next to Mr. Zhang. Neither the
place, nor any of the items used in the tests were even seen by

Mr. Zhang before.

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Envelope test

At first, Mr. Zhang's clairvoyance abilities were tested by
showing him a sealed business envelope. In the envelope there
were four Chinese characters written with a red, fine point
permanent marker on a transparent, 2 mn thick polyester foil.
After writing, the text was covered by a 0.5 mm thick trace
detector that looks like a common red translucent foil. Both
foils were taped together making the red text invisible under the
red foil. The only person who knew the text and the content of

the envelope, prepared in advance, was Dr.Li.

.
1‘

Upon presentation, Mr. Zhang gave a proper description of
the content of the envelope as two rectangular pieces of foil,
one of them red, held together in four corners by adhesive tape.
He also said that there were 4 red characters written on the foil
but he could not see them clearly. In his attempts to guess he
wrote four characters out of which the first two were correct.
Then, he crossed over and wrote another four characters. This

time only the third one was correct. Finally, he gave up saying

again that he could not see clearly. ~-

Next, Mr. Zhang folded one of the edges of the envelope,
sufficiently to cover a small coin, and handed it to one of the
scientist (Dr. Chen). The latter, after ensuring that the coin is

indeed in the fold and not in the envelope, held it visible to

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all the present. After a short pause (some 30 seconds) Mr. Zhang
said "O.K." and, indeed, the coin, still held by the scientist's
fingers under the folded edge, was no longer outside but inside

the envelope.

Mr.Zhang is known to be able to transfer characters written
on an envelope into the paper that is inside the envelope.
Previous tests showed that the ink characteristics, both of the
original and the transferred characters, always match. This time,
the use of polyester foils was intended by Dr. Li to make such a
transfer impossible since ball pen ink can not adhere to the type
of foil that’ was used. Not being aware of that, Mr. Zhang
proceeded by writing three short sentences on the envelope and,
after a brief concentration, announced that the text has been
transferred.

Before being cut open with scissors, the envelope was
scrutinized in turns by several investigators for possible signs
of tampering but none were found. The coin and the foils were
retrieved from inside. The three sentences were indeed written
inside. However, not on the foils but, réduced in size and not
altered in shape, on the pieces of Scotch Tape holding the foils

together.

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Destruction of a watch

There is a degree of childishness in Mr. Zhang's behavior.
It manifests itself in his demands, in the middle of the test,
for food (knowing that a festive banquet, prepared in his honor,
is awaiting anyway), or in the desires to demonstrate some of his
mischievous abilities. One of them was a wish to brake a watch.
Dr. Li immediately surrendered his own for that purpose - a mass
produced, mechanical watch; "Beijing" brand. Dr. Li was asked to
hold the watch inside his clasped fist. As Mr. Zhang
concentrated, Dr. Li felt intense heat originating from the
watch. Next} Mr. Zhang made a gesture as if he were picking up a
hair from Dr. Li's skin, on the back of his closed palm, between
the thumb and*the index finger. To everyone's astonishments, what
Mr. Zhang picked up was not a hair but a minute hand. In the same
fashion he extracted also a second hand and an hour hand. This
process was slow enough that all the present could clearly see
the hands emerging from Dr. Li's skin. Dr. Li did not feel any
pain or other sensations associated with the parts piercing his
hand. It was the first documented event of an object penetrating

human body in such a fashion. :

"The watch's glass is broken." Stated Mr. Zhang. Indeed,
when Dr. Li opened his hand there was a clear gap running across
the length of the glass. From the condition of the edges it

appeared that the damage was inflicted by partial melting of the

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erganic glass. All three hands were missing and there were deep
scratches on the metal back of the watch, as if someone would use

a file on it, but the mechanism of the watch was still ticking.

Burning of a shirt

Another of Mr. Zhang's spontaneous actions was his wish to
burn cloth. It created an uneasy situation as no clothing was
prepared for such eventuality and, because of a hot weather and
lack of efficient air conditioning, nobody had any excess
garments. Ultimately, one of the investigators (Dr. Du) simply
took off his white, polyester shirt and handed it to Mr. Zhang.
Mr. Zhang put» the shirt on the table and touched it with his
hand. At that time smoke came out of the fabric and a number of
black, burned spots appeared. Using his thumb, Mr. Zhang touched
the fabric in a few more places creating each time burned spots.
It created an impression among the audience as if Mr. Zhang had
too much energy and wanted to dispose of it. It also appeared
that Mr. Zhang does such "tricks" as a compensation when he is

not able to achieve a 100% success in other tests.
Description of bottles and samples

‘The main goal of the experiment was to study possible

structural changes in objects involved in psychokinetic tests. It

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was suspected that atoms of the penetrating object might leave
some traces in the obstacle material that, in turn, could be
revealed by tracing detectors - a technique used frequently in
the past in nuclear physics. A typical detector looks like an
ordinary plastic foil. When an atom moves through the foil it
looses, due to its motion, some of the surrounding electrons.
Such an ionized object inflicts microscopic damage along the
trace of its passage. After exposure, this damage can be enlarged

by chemical etching and viewed under a microscope.

Two bottles were prepared. The bigger one, made of clear
glass, was approximately 14. cm high, 22 cm in diameter. It was a
standard bottle used in hospitals for transfusions of saline
solution. It’can be distinguished by a tight rubber plug with a
long rubber skirt that folds out on the bottle's neck providing a
firm and difficult to remove lid. Inside the bottle were: a
pellet containing a radioactive a source (1pCi 24lam) , an a-Fe
Méssbauer absorber, two pieces of high temperature superconductor
samples, four pieces of trace detector material (each about 2mm
thick), a metal sample, a small, 3cm by lcm ampule containing a
liquor sample, ten yellow and ten white medical tablets, and an
ordinary bolt nut. A thin cotton thread was tied to the nut. The
other end of the thread extended outside the bottle, between the
rubber plug and glass, and was tied to the bottle's neck. The
fragile superconducting samples were wrapped and sealed in

several layers of the trace detector foil.

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The smaller bottle, measuring 8cm (height) by 5cm
(diameter), was made of clear plastic and had a plastic screw-on
lid. In the bottle there was a sealed pouch made of a
transparent, foil-like trace detector material. From the outside
the foil was practically invisible as it seemed to be part of the
bottle's walls. Any objects. emerging from the inside would have
to pass not only through the sides of the bottle but also through
the layer of the trace detector. Inside the sealed pouch in the
plastic bottle there were 10 yellow tablets and 6 white tablets

of vitamin C, and a tungsten sample.

*

Penetration of the bottles

Mr. Zhang asked one of the investigators (Dr. Du) to hold
the larger (glass) bottle in both hands. Without himself touching
the bottle, Mr. Zhang held the investigator's wrists. After about
10 minutes of deep concentration a white Vitamin C dropped to the
table from the bottom of the bottle. Two yellow tablets followed
the same way. Next, pieces of superconducting material emerged
from the side wall succeeded by already empty but still sealed
plastic wrapping. In a similar fashion solid pieces of the trace
detector and all the other objects were extracted from the bottle
with the exception of the liquor sample, radioactive source, and

the nut with the attached cotton thread.

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At some point during the test Mr. zhang apparently attempted
to extract the nut from the bottle. At that time, entire length
of the thread became visibly stiff. About 3 or 4 cm of the thread
emerged from under the tight rubber plug before the cotton fiber
lost its stiffness and Mr. Zhang gave up attempts to extract it

any more.

Mr. Zhang made later an interesting remark on why he did not
extract the radioactive source and the liquor sample (he was not
told about the nature of this objects). He said he did not want
to try because he did not like them. He did not like the "smell"

z

of them.

After a next period of concentration, Mr. Zhang asked for
permission to touch the plastic bottle, already held by the
investigator (Dr. Du), and, without inverting, shook it ina
gesture similar to shaking salt out of a salt shaker. As the
result most of the tablets came out, together with the tungsten
sample. Immediately inspected, neither the bottle, nor its seal,

nor the plastic pouch showed any damage or alteration.

»

Analysis of the samples

Regretfully, none of the powerful modern methods capable of

detecting minute changes in the microscopic, molecular, atomic

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and nuclear structure of the matter were able to provide any
clues to the puzzling phenomena demonstrated by Mr.Zhang. A
detailed analysis of all the specimens involved in the tests
(including those that failed to emerge from the bottles), was
performed; each failing to give any insights to the mechanism of
the penetration phenomena. The trace detectors showed no traces
other than previously induced traces. The properties of the
superconducting samples did not change. The Mossbauer spectrum of
the a-Fe absorber was not altered. Surface studies with electron
microscope did not reveal any induced abnormalities. The a
spectrum of the radioactive source and the gas chromatogram of
the liquor sample overlapped with those done prior to the

experiment.

Odds for illusion

Clearly there are many skillful illusionists who, with an
aid of a favorable viewing angle, some prearranged requisites,
and, often, a trained assistant, are capable of deceiving our
perception in stunts, not unlike those demonstrated by Mr. Zhang.
None of this aids, however, were available to Mr. Zhang; neither
this time, nor in countless previous tests. As an employee of
ISME he remains under constant surveillance and acquisition by
him of any stunt material would not pass unnoticed. Also, even

the best illusionists have their bad days and are, occasionally,

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"caught" by someone in the audience. In contrast, there is not a
single case when it would happen to Mr. Zhang. People who know
him personally consider him very honest and sincere; not capable

of cheating.

One may wonder whether Mr. Zhang is apt of hypnotizing large
groups of people making them believe something that did not
happen. But, besides the fact that such an ability would already
be very remarkable in itself, it is hard to imagine somebody
generating a 400 frames per second photographic evidence by the

power of his will.

%

Link with qigong

There is an interesting Link between individuals possessing
unusual, inborn gifts - like Zhang Baosheng - and many ordinary
_ people practicing gigong on a daily basis. By monitoring
electrical and chemical activity of the human body two distinct
phases can be differentiated - that of sleep, and that of being
awake. When the same relatively standard test, involving some 30
parameters (electrocardiogram, electroencephalogram, pulse phase,
etc.), is applied to a gigong adept who is in a meditative state,
the measurements do not coincide neither with those of "sleep",

nor those of “awakeness". Clearly, a person advanced in his

qigong exercises is able to put himself into a strange, yet well

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detectable, condition. This condition may be regarded, next to
sleep and the normal state of consciousness, as the third

fundamental phase of daily human activity.

As we have mentioned describing the tests with Mr. Zhang,
before each task he has to concentrate, sometimes as long as 30
minutes. Previous neurological and somatic measurements have
shown that during such concentration periods his condition is
very similar to that of the méditative state in qigong practice.
This cbservation coincides with claims by many qigong experts
that once they have mastered reaching meditative state they have
also acquiréd some, usually limited, paranormal abilities. It has
been established that after special gigong training a noticeable

percentage of’*people can possess such abilities.

One of the more spectacular examples is Mr. Chao Chey Zhoun
- previously an ordinary worker at one of Beijing factories.
After qigong training he developed mental telepathy and
clairvoyance skills as well as ability to diagnose and cure some
diseases. He is known to see people's interior "like on an X-ray

picture" and can distinguish in this way malfunctioning body

organs from the healthy ones [12].
Power to heal
Dr. Yan Xin is perhaps the most famous qigong master. Porn

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in 1950, he started practicing gigong in early childhood. A
graduate of Chengdu Traditional Chinese Medical College he has
been very successful at seemingly miraculous cures of his
countless patients. In 1986 his fame brought him to Beijing
where, in front of a medical council, he proved his gifts by
fully restoring a broken bone. A patient with a multiple
fracture, clearly documented on an X-ray picture, was brought to
Dr. Yan. After a short chat with the patient Dr. Yan declared
that the bone is now cured and, indeed, the patient felt fine and
subsequent X-ray pictures did not show any traces of the previous

damage.

%

Dr. Yan's abilities are clearly outstanding but not unique,
there are many qigong masters who, by emission of qi, routinely
speed up the recovery of a broken bone from few month to just

weeks or less.

What is qi

The mysterious substance that seems to be at the core of all
this unusual phenomena still remains a mystery. Chinese
scientists, using arrays of modern detectors, tried to moniter
emissions originating from qigong masters. They met with partial
success by detecting increased levels of infrared radiation.

Interestingly, the emission oscillated with a low frequency. In

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the attempt to replicate this process an electronic qigong master
was build - a simple device generating modulated infrared
radiation. This gadget was proven very helpful in some medical

treatments and is now commercially available.

Construction of the electronic qigong master was an
important link between the phenomena classified, until now, to
the realm of magic and the modern science. Obviously, this weak
anomalies in the infrared radiation can not account for all the
associated effects. It is a firm conviction among the Chinese
researchers that the measured part may, at most, constitute a
small fraction of qi. Experiments conducted with cooperation from

Dr. ¥an Xin give a good illustration of the unexplained nature of

this strange’ substance.

Dr. Yan Xin

Most of the people with extreme paranormal abilities, like
Mr. Zhang Baosheng, are relatively simple and uneducated. The
presence of modern scientific equipment easily intimidates them.
Even the sight of a video camera (still a very rare and luxurious
item in China) distracts them from showing their talents thus
forcing the use of a hidden camera. In that respect Dr. Yan Xin
is an exception. He has not only distinguished himself in the

field of medicine but he is also very cooperative in research

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programs with other scientists.

Perhaps the most spectacular achievement done by Dr. Yan,
apart from his healing abilities, were temporary (lasting about 2
hours) alterations of the Raman shift spectra of several samples
[3]. The unique aspect of this test was not only that such
changes occurred - documenting molecular changes in the samples -
but also that they were induced exclusively by the power of will

of Dr. Yan (sending gi) from the distance of 2000 kn.

Closing remarks

It is a’shared opinion among many scientist that modern
physics is in an impasse. After a period of fast development
boosted by the introduction of theory of relativity and quantum
mechanics the progress is slow again. In a search of a major
breakthrough physicist have been striving at creating in their
laboratories more and more extreme conditions to test the laws of
nature and to seek new phenomena. But a straight forward
extension of the present line of thinking, although beneficial to
our knowledge, can seldom bring a breakthrough. It seems that the
clues that we have been looking for in the subnuclear world may

have always been there, in our every day life, visible by a naked

eye yet unnoticed by scientists.

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Unexplained phenomena were always part of legends and
tradition of many peoples around the world. They are also present
now but, as a rule, the scientific community preferred to ignore
them; usually on grounds of insufficient evidence. We can no
longer claim lack of evidence. During the period starting from
1979 until now numerous Chinese physicists, chemists, medical
doctors, criminologist, and many others have joined their efforts
to document and understand gigong. Among the world class
scientists who were the first ones to show the courage to attach
their reputation to the research of paranormal abilities and
phenomena are Dr. Qian Xuesen (graduate of MIT and Caltech, the
founder of .China's space and missile technology), Dr. C.¥Y. Chao

-F

(discovery of external e” e7 pair production and annihilation

processes), and Dr. G. C. Wang (discovery of anti =~ hyperon).

With so much evidence of events running contrary to our
fundamental kndéwledge-of physics a major scientific effort should
be undertaken to study them [13]. It is impossible to summarize
in a short article the wealth of solid experimental data on the
subject accumulated and published in China over the last decade.
Clearly these publications should be translated into English but
to justify translations, enough interest must be generated in the
scientific community and, most of all, our attitudes must change.
We should no longer laugh at the phenomena we fail to understand.
When myths and miracles become documented facts they have to be

treated as such. "Miracles are not against the nature, they are

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only against our understanding of the nature" [14].

Potential benefits of taping the power of qi are bound to be
much more than a next revolution in science. Even now thousands
of patients each year, mostly with chronic illnesses, get
substantial relief from the hands of properly trained qigong
masters. Millions are healthier and feel better through their
simple daily practice. Whatever qi is, it works well and, if
popularized, it could give:to’ many more people an effective and

affordable way to lessen their sufferings.

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References:

As most of the publications are in Chinese they are of little
help to the readers. A good historical review (in English) cf
qigong research with references to the original articles (in

Chinese) can be found in L. Zha and T. McConnell, The Journal
of the American Society for Psychical Research 85, 119

(1991).

Yan Xin et al., "The disproportionation of CO and Hy mixture
induced by gigong", Nature Journal 11, 651 (1988). (In

.

Chinese):

Yan Xin, Li Shengping, Yang Zengjia, and Lu Zuying, "The
substitution of n-hexane by bromine induced by qigong",

Nature Journal 11, 653 (1988). (In Chinese)

a

‘Yan Xin, Li Shengping, Yu Jianyuan, Li Baike, and Lu Zuying,

"The effect of qigong on the Raman spectra of tap water,
saline and glucose solution", Nature Journal 11, 567 (1988).

(In Chinese) .
Yan Xin, Lu Zuying, An Shixian, and Li Shengping, "The effect

of qigong on the polarization plane of a laser beam", Nature

Journal 11, 563 (1988). (In Chinese)

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10.

Yan Xin, Lu Zuying, Zhang Tianbao, Wang Haidong, and Zhu
Yunsheng, "The effect of gigong on the counting rate of 24VT Dm

radioactivity", Nature Journal 11, 809 (1988). (In Chinese)

Yan Xin, Zhao Nanming, Yi Changcheng, and Lu Zuying, "The
influences of gigong on the phase behaviours of liposome and

liquid crystal", Nature Journal 11, 572 (1988). (In Chinese)

Yan Xin, Zheng Changxue, Zhou Guangye, and Lu Zuying, "The
hyperchromatic effects on nucleic acid solutions induced by

igong", Nature Journal 11, 647 (1988). (In Chinese)
gig

€
4

Chen Hsin and Mei Lei, "Study of the extraordinary function
of the human body in China", in Research in Parapsychology
1982, W. G. Roll, J. Beloff, and R. A. White, Eds. (Scarecrow

Press, Metuchen, NJ, 1983), pp. 278-282. (In English)

a

Chen Yi et al., "Preliminary results of human magnifying

function", Nature Journal 4, 185 (1981). (In Chinese)
Cheng Shouliang et al., "Preliminary report on a special

inductive function in the human body (II): The generality

question", Nature Journal 2, 334 (1979). (In Chinese)

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aska

Q. Li and W
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il.

12.

13.

14.

Qingli Li, Xueren Du, Yongshow Chen, Shuhua Zhou, Xialing
Guan, Zhen Yang, et al., "Study of Superfunction of Human
Body by Means of Experiments at Microscopic Level", Atomic

Energy Science and Technology 24(1), 92 (1990) (in Chinese).

Chao Chey Zhoun, "Qigong has induced my paranormal
abilities", Youth of China, 40-41 (October 1987). (In

Chinese)

Qingli Li, "Challenging Problem to Modern Physics", Atomic

Energy Science and Technology 22(3), 381 (1988). (In Chinese)

«
+?

M. de Montaigne, Essays I. xxii (ca. 1580) (modern

translation).

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