LETTER TO THE EDITOR NATURE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: STARGATE
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP96-00792R000200650001-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 33
• Document Creation Date: November 4, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 28, 1998
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: July 23, 1991
• Content Type: LETTER

From College Station, 1991/7/23
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Cyclotron Institute
Texas A&M University
College Station
TX 77843
Phone:
(409)
845-1411
FAX:
(409)
845-1899
E-Mail:
TRZASKA @ TAMCOMP .
BitNet
To:
The Editor
NATURE
1137 National Press Building
Washington
DC 20045
Dear Editor,
During the past decade China has witnessed unprecedented boom in
research on paranormal phenomena stimulated by a massive public
interest in Qigong - the ancient form of meditation and
exercises. It was a firm conviction of the Chinese scientific
community that any serious study of this subject would simply
expose clever tricks of a handful of charlatans who inspired the
wave of superstition among the common people. But this time it
was the scientists who were proven initially wrong. Scores of
scientific results were published, mostly in Nature Journal - a
highly respected Chinese parallel of your magazine, all
confirming existence of phenomena running contrary to our present
knowledge of Physics. This research came from the most
prestigious Chinese institutes: Institute of Space Medico-
Engineering, China Institute of Atomic Energy, etc.
It is very unfortunate that this wealth of puzzling results and
experimental data is unknown and unavailable to the Western
scientists. To help correct this situation we have written a 4900
words article that not only gives the readers a first hand report
about one of such most unusual experiments but also provides
necessary introduction and background information. We think that
it is very important that article like ours be published in one
of the credible, wide circulation scientific magazines, just like
NATURE. Otherwise, nobody will believe that what we are writing
about is true and the whole point of publishing this information
will be lost.
We understand that in the present form our text may not yet be
well suited to appear in NATURE and we would welcome any
suggestions to rearrange or shorten it.
Sincerely,
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~ 11
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Dr. Qingli Li (born 1941) is associate professor of physics at
China Institute of Atomic Energy (IAE) in Beijing, China. He was
a visiting scientist at the University of Pennsylvania and at the
Indiana University Cyclotron Facility. Dr. Li is currently a
visiting scientist at Cyclotron Institute, Texas A&M University.
His main research interests are in experimental nuclear and high
energy physics. Dr. Li has published about 40 articles on nuclear
physics, also in American and European Scientific magazines. His
publications have brought him several awards from his Institute
and from the Chinese National Science and Technology Committee.
He is also one of the co-authors of the Chinese Encyclopedia of
Physics (Chapter on nuclear physics). Between 1986-1989, together
with six other senior scientists from IAE, Dr. Li was involved in
research on qigong and related paranormal phenomena.
Dr. W7adys7aw H. Trzaska.(born 1955) graduated from Warsaw
University, Poland, and from University of Jyvaskyla, Finland
(Ph. D. in experimental nuclear physics). His fields of interest
include electron, positron, and gamma-ray spectroscopy,
development of new instruments and methods for nuclear research,
and software development. Dr. Trzaska has been actively involved
in nuclear and high energy physics research at Argonne,
Brookhaven, and Los Alamos National Laboratories, at Purdue
University, at Texas A&M (where he is currently a visiting
scientist), and at the University of Jyvaskyla (his permanent
affiliation). He has published nearly 30 research papers in major
scientific magazines.
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 Approved FoAi&k!te010i- 0650001-4
* Annual IAE award
** Chinese National Science and Technology Commeeittee award
[1] Study of Resonance Structure in Some Odd-Mass Collision System
Contributed Paper of Workshop'90 on Heavy-Ion Physics
Research ( July 17--19,1990. Chalk River, Canada )
[2] Search for Resonance Structure in 31P + 12C Collision
System
Proceedings of International Nuclear Physics Conference
( August 20-26,1989. Sao Paulo,Brasil ) Vol. 1 P7-94
[3] Study of Resonance Structure in Heavy-Ion Collisions
The Tendency of Nuclear Physics 6(2),13 (1989)
[4] Challenging Problem to Modern Physics
Atomic Energy Science and Technology 22(3),381 (1988)
[5] Spectroscopy of 14C from The 11B(alpha,p) Reaction
at 118 Mev
Nuclear Physics A468,43 (1987)
[6] A Study of Angular Distribution for 59Co(alpha,p)
Preequilibrium Emission at 26 Mev
Chin.J.Nucl.Phys. 9,289 (1987)
*[7] Elastic and Inelastic Scattering of Alpha-Particles on 54Fe
Target at 26 Mev and Coupled Channel Analysis
Chin.J.Nucl.Phys. 9,299 (1987)
Proc. Intern. Nuclear Physics Conference,
Harrogate,U.K.,P263 (1986)
*[8] Sell Effect and Odd-Even Effect in Transition Matrix Element o
Two-Body Residual Interaction
Chin.J.Nucl.Phys. 9,198 (1987)
Proc. Intern. Nuclear Physics Conference,
Harrogate,U.K.,P259 (1986)
[9] Elastic and Inelastic Scattering of 270 Mev 3He Particles
from 58Ni,90Zr,116Sn,208Pb
Pramana-J.Phys.27(6),747 (1986)
[10) Location of Multiparticle-Multihole Strength in 16N via
the 3- Particle Transfer Reaction 13C(alpha,p)16N
at 118 Mev
Nuclear Physics A459,317 (1986)
[11] The 48Ca(d,3He)47K Reaction at 80 Mev
Nuclear Physics A437,381 (1985)
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 L12J tviaenee LUL rLULUil LLUU11U L. Le LL,LLU1c1LiU11 111 ~.a
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[13] Proton Ground State correlations in 48Ca
Proc. Intern. Symp. on Electromagnetic Properties
of Atomic Nuclei, Tokyo (1983).
H.Horie,H.Ohnuma,Edc., P237 (1984)
[14] Systematics of (p,d) Analyzing Powers at 94 Mev
Phys. Rev.C27,1073 (1983)
*[15] Study of The Intermediate Structure in The Nuclear Reactions
Induced by Low Energy Deuterons
Chin.J.Nucl.Phys. 5,8 (1983)
Chin. Phys. 3(3),675 (1983) (Published by The American
Institute of Physics)
[16) f7 2)-27 pp Configuration Hi 2h-Spin States in
40f7/2)
Co~Strongly Excited in the ~2Ni(d,alpha) Reaction
Nuclear Physics A406,81 (1983)
*[17] Study of Intermediate Resonance in the 24Mg(d,p)25Mg
Reaction
Chin.J.Nucl.Phys. 4,48 (1982)
[18] Study of 19F(d,p)20F Reaction in Deuteron Energy
Region 1.4--2.5 Mev
Chin.J.Nucl.Phys. 4,268 (1982)
**[19] Intermediate Resonance of 28Si(d,p)29Si Reaction
in the Deuteron Energy Region 1.0--2.5 Mev
Chin.Phys. 2(1), 197 (1982)
( Published by American Institute of Physics )
Chin.J.Nucl.Phys. 2,316 (1980)
[20] The Probability of Existence of Intermediate Structure
in the 12C(d,p) Reaction in the Energy Region 1.0--2.5 Mev
Phys.Energ.Fortis. Phys.Nucl. 4(2), 210 (1980)
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1) W. Trzaska, J. Ayst6, J. Kantele, SEMICONDUCTOR TELESCOPE
SPECTROMETER FOR BETA-RAY SPECTRA, Nuclear Instruments and
Methods 212 (1983) 221-225
2) J. Ayst6, J. Honkanen, W. Trzaska, K. Eskola, K. Vierinen, S.
Messelt, FEATURES OF THE BETA-DECAY OF 93mRu TO PROTON EMITTING
STATES IN 93Tc Nuclear Physics A404 (1983) 1-14
3) J. Kantele, M. Luontama, W. Trzaska, A. Passoja, SINGLE-
DETECTOR PARTICLE IDENTIFICATION IN CONJUNCTION WITH COINCIDENCE
MEASUREMENTS, Nuclear Instruments and Methods 206 (1983) 403-412
4) R. Julin, M. Luontama, A. Passoja, W. Trzaska, DECAY OF 02
STATES IN EVEN-EVEN N=82 NUCLEI, International Symposium on IN-
BEAM NUCLEAR SPECTROSCOPY, Debrecen, Hungary, May 1984
5) A. Passoja, J. Kantele, M. Luontama, W. Trzaska and L.
Westerberg, Search for a 0-1 -> 0+1 internal-pair transition in
14C, Annual Report 1982, Department of Physics, University of
Jyvaskyla
6) A. Passoja, R. Julin, J. Kantele, J. Kumpulainen, M. Luontama,
W. Trzaska, ELECTROMAGNETIC DECAY OF EXCITED 0+ STATES IN
14, Nuclear Physics A438 (1985) 413-428
7) J. Timar, T. Fenyes, T. Kibedi, A. Passoja, M. Luontama, W.
Trzaska, V. Paar, PROTON-NEUTRON MULTIPLET STATES IN 1141n,
Nuclear Physics A455 (1986) 477-493
8) J. Kantele, M. Luonntama, W. Trzaska, R. Julin, A. Passoja, EO
TRANSITIONS IN 202,204Pb AND INTRUDER-STATE SYSTEMATICS OF EVEN-
EVEN LEAD ISOTOPES, PHYSICS LETTERS B Vol 171 (1986) 151-154
9) M. Luontama, R. Julin, J. Kantele, A. Passoja, W. Trzaska, A.
Backlin, N.-G. Jonsson L. Westerberg, Electromagnetic Properties
of Low-Spin States in i02,104pd, Z.Phys.A 324 (1986) 317-324
10) M. Piiparinen, M. W. Drigert, R. V. F. Janssens, I. Ahmad, J.
Borggreen, R. R. Chasman, P. J. Daly, B. K. Dichter, H. Emling,
U. Grag, Z. W. Grabowski, R. Holzmann, T. L. Khoo, W. C. Ma, D.
C. Radford, W. Trzaska, LEVEL STRUCTURE OF 148Gd UP TO I=44,
PHYSICS LETTERS B Vol 194 (1987) 468-472
11) R. Julin, J. Kantele, J. Kumpulainen, M. Luontama, A.
Passoja, W. Trzaska, E. Verho, J. Blomgvist, EO study of 0+
states near 5 MeV in 208Pb, PHYSICAL REVIEW C 36 (1987) 1129-1131
12) R. Holzmann, I. Ahmad, B. K. Dichter, H. Emling, R. V. F.
Janssens, T. L. Khoo, W. C. Ma, M. W. Drigert, U. Garg, D. C.
Radford, P. J. Daly, Z. W. Grabowski, H. Helppi, M. Quader, W,
Trzaska, EVOLUTION OF NUCLEAR STRUCTURE WITH INCREASING SPIN AND
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 i/OA71 52p 00792R000200650001 (1987)
INTO vec For e~lease
321-
13) S. W. Yates, L. G. Mann, E. A. Henry, D. J. Decman, R. A.
Meyer, R. J. Estep, R. Julin A. Passoja, J. Kantele, W. Trzaska,
E0 decays of 0+ states in 14 'Gd: Search for two-phonon octupole
excitations, PHYSICAL REVIEW C 36 (1987) 2143-2145
14) M. W. Drigert, R. V. F.Janssens, R. Holzmann, R. R. Chasman,
I. Ahmad, J. Broggreen, P. J. Daly, B. K. Dichter, H. Emling, U.
Grag, Z. W. Grabowski, T. L. Khoo, W. C. Ma, M. Piiparinen, M.
Quader, D. C. Radford, W. Trzaska, EVIDENCE FOR SUPERDEFORMATION
IN 148Gd, PHYSICS LETTERS B 201 (1988) 223-227
15) W. C. Ma, M. A. Quader, H. Emling,T. L. Khoo, I. Ahmad, P. J.
Daly, B. K. Dichter, M. Drigert, U. Grag, Z. W. Grabowski, R.
Holzmann, R. V. F. Janssens, M. Piiparinen, W. H Trzaska, T.-F.
Wang, Structural Changes along and above the Yrast Line of 154Dy,
PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS Volume 61, Number 1 (1988) 46-49
16) R. Julin, J. Kantele, J. Kumpulainen, M. Luontama, V.
Nieminen, A. Passoja, W. Trzaska, E. Verho, A SETUP FOR
SPECTROMETRY OF HIGH-ENERGY CONVERSION ELECTRONS, Nuclear
Instruments and Methods in Physics Research A270(1988)74-77
17) H. Emling, I. Ahmad, P. J. Daly, B. K. Dichter, M. Drigert,
U. Garg, Z. Grabowski, R. Holzmann, R. V. F. Janssens, T. L.
Khoo, W. C. Ma, M. Piiparinen, M. A. Quader, I. Ragnarsson, W. H.
Trzaska, Lifetime Measurements of Terminating and Collective
High-Spin States in 155Dy and 156Dy, Phys. Lett. 217B, 33 (1989)
18) W. H. Trzaska, Z. W. Grabowski, P. J. Daly, AN ELECTRON
SPECTROMETER FOR IN-BEAM USE WITH HEAVY ION PROJECTILES, NIM - to
be published
19) R. Holzmann, T. L. Khoo, W. C. Ma, I. Ahmad, B. K. Dichter,
H. Emling, R. V. F. Janssens, M. W. Drigert, U. Grag, M. A.
Quader, P. J. Daly, M. Piiparinen, W. Trzaska, Structure in the
E2 Quasicontinuum Spectrum of 154Dy, physical Review Letters
Volume 62, Number 5 (1989) 520-523
20) W. H. Trzaska, R. Julin, J. Kantele, and J. Kumpulainen,
Solution of controversy over 1583-keV levels in 204Pb, Phys. Rev.
C 40, 1520 (1989)
21) J. Kumpulainen, R. Julin, J. Kantele, A. Passoja, W. H.
Trzaska, E. Verho, and J. Vaaramaki New features in systematics
of low-spin states in even 106-120Cd, Z. Phys. A 335, 109 (1990)
22) W. H. Trzaska, J. Kantele, R. Julin, J. Kumpulainen, P. Van
Duppen, M. Huyse, and J. Wauters, Comparison of Experimental and
Calculated K/L Ratios of EO Transitions in Some Heavy Nuclei, Z.
Phys. 335, 475 (1990)
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 a,.J) Pl. I\? l/a-y`~_4 ?-/ ca. Ltlrul ll![.=11, ri. V? l ? UCL 11J 7 GllJ, 11. . 11111 LlU Gll lll
I. Ahmad, J. Broggreen, R. R. Chasman, P? J. Daly, B. K. Dichter,
H. AMnajgdiForrRel ,asr .2@ )I /@B ,uCMyRIDP96,009DROg02006800011-4
Quader, D. C. Radford14and W. Trzaska, and Continuum
Gamma-ray Studies of Gd and~-I Gd,, Nucl. Phys. A515 (1990)
466.
24)
T. Lonnroth, P. Ahonen, R. Julin, S. Juutinen, A.
Lampinen,
A.
Pahkanen
S. Tormanen, W. Trzaska and.A. Virtanen,
Properties
of
the 13/2
isomeric decay in2UJHg, Z. Phys. A, 337
(1990) 11.
25) 1+. Trzaska, Recommended data on selected gamma-ray and
conversion-electron calibration sources, Nucl. Instr. and Meth.,
A297 (1990) 223.
26) J. M. Parmonen, Z. Janas, W. H. Trzaska, J. &ysto, J.
Kantele, P. Jauho, A. Jokinen and H. Penttila, Electron-
Transporter for On-Line Isotope Separator, Nucl. Instr. and
Meth., in print.
27) W. H. Trzaska, H. Dejbakhsh, S. B. Dutta, Q. Li, and T. M.
Cormier, Search for Resonant Electron-Positron Annihilation-in-
Flight, submitted to Physics Letters B.
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scientific Approach to Qigong and So Called Paranormal Phenomena
Qingli Li and W. H. Trzaska
(Contains approximately 4900 words)
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
qigong has already made an important impact on traditional
medicine by providing seemingly miraculous ways to heal and a
simple yet effective set of preventive exercises.
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 Q. Li and W. H. Trza*ka
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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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 Q. Li ana W. H. Trzaska.
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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 qigong. 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 qigong stressing different forms of practice to
achieve specific results.
In general qigong concerns the flow of a certain substance
called qi (hence qigong - the qi ability). A steady flow of this
substance in the human body insures good health and internal
happiness. By channeling qi 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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 Q L d W. H. Trzaska
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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 qi 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 called qigong masters. A qigong master can
help a new adept to go directly to the second stage of qigong
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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 Q. Li and W. H. Trzaska
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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 casually 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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 Q. Li and W. H. Trzaska
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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, marked
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.
Similarly, 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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 Q. Li and W. H. Trzaska
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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 qigong 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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 Q. Li and W. H. Trzaska
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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 mm 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.
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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 Q. Li and W. H. Trzaska
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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, reduced in size and not
altered in shape, on the pieces of Scotch Tape holding the foils
together.
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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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organic 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 (l Ci 241Am) , an a-Fe
Mossbauer 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 1cm 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.
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 an 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"
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 in a
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.
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 qigong 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 qigong 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 meditative state in qigong practice.
This observation coincides with claims by many qigong experts
that once they have mastered reaching meditative state they have
also acquired some, usually limited, paranormal abilities. It has
been established that after special qigong 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. Born
17
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in 1950, he started practicing qigong 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 monitor
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. Yan Xin give a good illustration of the unexplained nature of
this strange substance.
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 qi) from the distance of 2000 km.
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 qigong. 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
(discovery of external e+ e- pair production and annihilation
processes), and Dr. G. C. Wang (discovery of anti E- hyperon).
With so much evidence of events running contrary to our
fundamental knowledge 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) of
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).
1. Yan Xin et al., "The disproportionation of CO and H2 mixture
induced by gigong", Nature Journal 11, 651 (1988). (In
Chinese)
2. 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)
3. 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)
4. 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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5. Yan Xin, Lu Zuying, Zhang Tianbao, Wang Haidong, and Zhu
Yunsheng, "The effect of qigong on the counting rate of 241Am
radioactivity", Nature Journal 11, 809 (1988). (In Chinese)
6. Yan Xin, Zhao Nanming, Yi Changcheng, and Lu Zuying, "The
influences of qigong on the phase behaviours of liposome and
liquid crystal", Nature Journal 11, 572 (1988). (In Chinese)
7. Yan Xin, Zheng Changxue, Zhou Guangye, and Lu Zuying, "The
hyperchromatic effects on nucleic acid solutions induced by
gigong", Nature Journal 11, 647 (1988).. (In Chinese)
8. 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)
9. Chen Yi et al., "Preliminary results of human magnifying
function", Nature Journal 4, 185 (1981). (In Chinese)
10. 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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11. 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).
12. Chao Chey Zhoun, "Qigong has induced my paranormal
abilities", Youth of China, 40-41 (October 1987). (In
Chinese)
13. Qingli Li, "Challenging Problem to Modern Physics", Atomic
Energy Science and Technology 22(3), 381 (1988). (In Chinese)
14. M. de Montaigne, Essays I. xxii (ca. 1580) (modern
translation).
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 SG1 E
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