Qigong master probed for owning firearms
Print Edition
Police in east China’s Jiangxi Province have launched an investigation into self-proclaimed qigong master Wang Lin over his alleged possession of firearms.
An official from the public security bureau of Luxi County said yesterday that they had received several tip-offs about Wang owning guns, which is illegal in China.
Wang has been in the headlines recently for amassing a big fortune by conning his followers.
Zou Yong, a former disciple of Wang, has alleged that Wang had carried a hunting rifle during a trip near a reservoir in Yifeng County in Jiangxi in 2008. It has also been reported that Wang has been seen shooting at birds in his backyard as well.
As per Chinese law, anyone found illegally possessing guns faces a jail term between three and seven years.
Wang lives in a massive villa in downtown Luxi and named it Wang Fu, or Wang’s mansion. The gold-plated inscription “Wang” and “Fu” were removed from the gate last Friday, one day after police started their investigation.
Wang’s follower Qiu Wulin said Wang took the decision on his own and not due to any pressures, news commentator Lai Junbing told Beijing Evening News.
A Beijing lawyer on Sunday asked local land resources authority to publicize information about Wang’s mansion, which, he suspects, proves the shady ties between Wang and government officials. Wang built the mansion on a 4,000 to 5,000 square meters of land right in downtown.
Besides the one in Luxi, Wang also reportedly owned three other villas in Yichun City in Jiangxi.
Zou, a mining businessman in Jiangxi, claimed he paid 7.4 million yuan (US$1.2 million) for a luxury car Wang had wanted in early 2008, and also gave him 333,333 yuan in a red envelope to be accepted as a student in December 2009.
He is suing Wang over a housing contract dispute involving over 30 million yuan. The trial opened on July 30 as authorities in Pingxiang in Jiangxi, Wang’s hometown, probed Wang for illegal medicine practices.
Officials found he didn’t have a medical license or qualifications to “treat” patients over claims that he had healed more than 50,000 people.
Wang has claimed he can cure diseases such as cancer, conjure up snakes from thin air and other supernatural acts.
He came under intense scrutiny after pictures of him posing with government officials and celebrities like action hero Jet Li and Chinese e-commerce pioneer Ma Yun appeared online this summer.
Wang, a 61-year-old native of Luxi, is reportedly in Hong Kong at the moment, as he has permanent resident status there.
Qigong, which combines breathing, physical exercise and mental training methods based on Chinese philosophy, is practiced by people around the world for the purposes of strengthening the body and maintaining health.
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