SOARING above a forest, propelled by a simple bound, hardening "iron skin" against sword blows, paralyzing an adversary with a single poke of the finger, and defeating a legion of enemies with a blast of qi (energy flow) shot from the palm of the hand.

That's what happens in Chinese legends, martial arts fiction and kung fu movies. These images are powerful and resonant.

Many Chinese have martial arts dreams, and a kung fu hero in their fantasy world is capable of supernatural feats, accomplishing missions impossible by directing profound nei gong (internal force) developed through rigorous physical training, rhythmic breathing exercises, concentration and meditation. They are masters of qigong and what appear to be magical martial arts techniques.

But while some techniques do exist in the real world, they are not magical and don't rise to the heights of fiction.

With roots in Chinese medicine, martial arts and philosophy, qigong is an ancient practice to cultivate and balance qi . It is known for its general health benefits, as is the soft martial art of tai chi.

Martial arts masters, however, practice for years in an effort to connect energy meridians and tap the intrinsic life force.

Qigong recently made headlines and generated controversy when medical professionals in northwest China's Gansu Province claimed last month to have successfully opened up and linked the two fundamental energy meridians, ren and du, with just nine days of training. Presumably, the health benefits would be enormous.

The head of the Gansu Health Bureau said he wanted to spread training in these techniques throughout the province.

News reports quoted some practitioners as saying they felt their kidneys burning and a sensation of boiling water in the brain when they opened up these meridians or channels. Some said their ailments were cured or much relieved.

In traditional Chinese medicine, the ren meridian (the conception vessel) and du meridian (the governor vessel) are the two important energy channels that run vertically and in parallel in the front (ren) and back (du) of the body.

In kung fu fictions, unblocking and linking the two meridians in a loop dramatically improves a martial arts practitioner's nei gong; the practitioner is infused with power and seemingly reborn into a super body.

The extravagance of these claims is why so many people are skeptical about qigong's supposedly ultimate powers.

But according to 60-year-old Jason Yao, who has practiced qigong along with various martial arts for 40 years, unblocking the two meridians isn't as magical or difficult as described in fiction. Fluent energy is quite basic in qigong practice and is helpful in health maintenance but it does not create superpowers, he tells Shanghai Daily.

A number of experts in health and science institutes and associations declined to wade into the Gansu controversy and discuss the issue of qigong powers and TCM, saying they feared misinterpretation.

"TCM holds that energy stagnation is a major trigger of ailments and disease. Thus, efficient energy circulation can surely help achieve a healthy constitution," Yao says. "But that is usually more effective as prevention and cure."

Yao says he never had magical feelings of boiling water in his brain but felt much refreshed after connecting the two meridians and achieving energy circulation through mental exercise and physical movements.

"It is understandable that people exaggerate the power of qigong since they get most of their information from fiction," says David Deng, a coach at the Shanghai Taoist Culture Kung Fu Club. "But that doesn't mean everything you heard about kung fu is fake."

According to him, qigong comprised of physical movements together with breath and energy adjustment, can significantly improve their power and speed but there's nothing magical, supernatural or superhuman about it.

Qing gong (flying skill)

In novels and movies, martial arts practitioners can take flight, soar for miles at extraordinary speed and even battle each other in the air.

The bamboo forest fight scene in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" (2000) amazed many viewers as combatants sprang and bounded into the air, landing atop the bamboo and taking off again. They demonstrated the kung fu technique of qing gong (light force), which controls energy in and around the body.

"Flying is, of course, impossible," says coach Deng who has practiced martial arts since he was age 6. He has been practicing qigong for a dozen years. According to him, people with certain qing gong abilities can move and climb much faster than ordinary people, but no one can defy the laws of gravity and physics.

"With certain control of the breathing and energy, we can achieve faster movements and a 'lighter' body (related to flexibility, not actual body weight), which helps with climbing or jumping," Deng says. "Getting over a wall or climbing to a house beam can be easy for a kung fu practitioner; some masters can also dash across a roof and speed along a ridge of tile (as in 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon')."

Iron skin (undamagable body)

The legendary shi ba tong ren or "18 copper men" guarding Shaolin Temple are famous for energy control that makes them invulnerable. They wear no armor but their copper-colored skin cannot be pierced. They can survive hundreds of weapon blows, without injury.

But legend goes that they are not perfect. Their weak point is said to be their reliance on the huiyin point on the ren meridian.

Iron skin (within limits) is achievable, according to Jason Yao, but it isn't practical in real fighting.

It is created by so-called rigid qigong that focuses on protection. By guiding and controlling energy, a practitioner can protect the body from punching or poking, as with a shield, Yao says. But the practitioner must anticipate the attack and move energy in his body accordingly, then maintain that internal energy status and physical posture to resist further attack. But the practitioner can only defend himself, not actively attack, Yao says.

"As you can always see in some kung fu demonstrations, the practitioner usually holds his breath and waits for the attack," Yao says. "He cannot move while protecting himself in this way."

Coach Deng also cites a qigong technique called hama gong (toad technique) in which internal energy is guided to a certain part of the body, forming a prominent and hard region or mound, which is difficult to penetrate. It is likened to the air sac of a breathing toad.

Dian xue (vital attack point)

In martial arts movies, it's common to see a master blocking an adversary's movement or momentum and stopping his voice - immobilizing him - with the strong poke of a finger at certain points on the body.

But the real dian xue is not totally effective, according to experts. There are some points in the body that can be vitalized with strong pressure, according to coach Deng. Powerfully poking or pinching these points can weaken or partially immobilize, he says.

"These points are usually located on the major energy channels; pinching can block the normal blood and energy circulation, thus paralyzing part of the body, making people feel strengthless and numb," Deng says.

According to him, the vital points in martial arts are not all identical with acupuncture points in TCM. Some points may shift location because of changing health conditions, but they do not leave the energy channels.

Of course, it's necessary to develop powerful nei gong or internal force to actually have a debilitating effect; physical strength alone is usually not enough to block an energy channel and stop an enemy in his tracks.

Yi rou ke gang (conquering hardness by soft moves)

A typical movie image of a tai chi master is that of an older gentleman in silk clothes, making the "cloud-pushing" movement with his hands as he practices in a forest. Wind energy builds with his repeated movements and in a final attack he is able to project energy that can split a tree, without damaging his hands.

The whirlwind produced along with the hand movement is, of course, an illusion. But the technique of conquering the strong with seemingly soft and slow movements is the essence of tai chi as a martial art.

The slow hand movement in a cloud pattern is an efficient way to defuse an attack and avoid direct confrontation, Yao says. Tai chi alters the direction of power with hand movements and can be much more effective when energy guidance is involved.

Health benefits

All the seemingly magical techniques require long-term practice in energy guidance through mental and physical exercise, according to coach Deng. They help improve fighting skills and provide health benefits since fluent energy circulation is required.

Many people today are interested in qigong for its health benefits and there are simple practices that can be mastered.

The exercises put less emphasis on the nei gong (internal force) practice and instead emphasizes postures and physical movements accompanied with breathing control, according to Yu Dinghai, a member of the China Healthcare Qigong Association.