Full text of "CHINA"

See other formats

Approved For Release 2001/04/02 : CIA-RDP96-00792R00040030001 1 -9 

t 


XI 

Chronology of Recent Interest in 
Exceptional Functions of the Human 
Body in the People’s Republic of 

China 


1978 First scientific research conducted on exceptional functions 

of the human body (EFHB) with Tang Yu. 

1979 (March ll) Article in Sichuan Daily about a 12— year old 
boy, Tang Yu, being able to "read" with his ears touches 
off widespread interest. 

1979 (May) Article in People’s Daily criticized the Sichuan 
Daily report as unscientific. 

1979 (September) A major Chinese science journal, Ziran Zazhi 
[Nature Journal], carried a report on "nonvisual" pattern 
recognition" in which popular accounts of exceptional human 
body function were confirmed. 

1980 An unofficial preliminary organization entitled the Chinese 
Human Body Science Association (Preparatory Committee) 
was set up under the auspices of Nature Journal. 

1980 (February) Ziran Zazhi [Nature Journal] and the Chinese 
Human Body Science Association held a parapsychology 
conference in Shanghai with participants from over 20 
research institutes and universities. 

<? 1981 A news film on EFpH] "Do You Believe?," was produced 

by the Central Newsreel and Documentary Studio and was 
shown on TV and in many theaters. This resulted in 
hundreds of children claiming they had psi ability. This in 
turn led to the formation of over 100 centers to study these 
abilities with the cooperation of at least 100 formally 
trained scholars. 


403 


Approved For Release 2001/04/02 : CIA-RDP96-00792R000400300011-9 





roved For Release 2001/04/02 : CIA-RDP96-00792R000400300011-9 

Parapsychology in the Soviet Union 


1981 (May) A second conference on parapsychology organized by 
the Chinese Human Body Science Association was held in 
Chongqing. This led to publication of a series of papers in 
Ziran Zazhi. 

1981 (October) The State Science Commission set up a special 
group to study exceptional human body function. 

1981 (October) Organized by Dr. Stanley Krippner of Saybrook 
Institute, a group of American and Canadian scientists, 
physicians, and educators visited the People’s Republic of 
China and attended 5 formal technical meetings. 

1981 In order to accommodate the many papers submitted to 
Nature Journal, a monthly newlettcr, the EFHB Bulletin , 
was initiated by Nature Jounal. 

1981 China Encyclopedia Almanac uses the term "extraordinary 
functions of the human body."* 

1981 (October 30) Summary statement issued by the Committee 
for the Study of Exceptional Human Functions who had 
visited the PRC earlier in the month. 

1982 (February 24) Chinese Academy of Sciences sponsored a 
public hearing in Beijing attended by 4,000 scholars, in 
which the cases reported were analyzed and most of them 
considered to be unfounded. They called for "fair but 
strictly controlled" tests to lead to a final judgment. This 
disapproval of psi research was widely published in the two 
most important government — authorized media, Xinghua 
News Agency and the People’s Daily. 

1982 (February 25) People’s Daily presented the view that no 
solid evidence for the paranormal had been put forth. 

1982 (April) A joint trial was arranged by the Party’s Na- 
tional Committee of Science at Beijing Teacher’s College. 
Proponents of both sides attended. The results iwere mostly 
negative, with the exception of those of Q’Z’V (Zhang 
Baosheng) . J 


* The entire article has been translated into English and is 
printed in Section IIC. 


Approved For Release 2001/04/02 : CIA-RDP96-00792R000400300011-9 


Approved For Release 2001/04/02 : CIA-RD^96-00792R000400300011-9 

Chronology (Parapsychology in China) ! 405 

sides of the debate appealed to the Party. 

Ihe decision was announced by Hu Yaobang, the Party’s 
Gereral. Secretary. Exceptional functions of the human body 
was rejected as an approved subject of scientific research, 
but a minority group of scientists was to be allowed to 
continue their . research and report it in an internally circu- 
lated publication for the consideration of interested scien- 
tists. The media were requested not to publish on the 
topic. Formal university research and government funding 
was halted. 

1982 (August) An invited speech was given by two Chinese 

scientists, Chen Hsin and Mei Lei, at the joint convention 
of the P arapsychological Association and the Society for 
Psychical Research held at Cambridge University. 

1983 A series of PK experiments with the subject Zhang 
Baosheng (Z) were conducted by 19 researchers led by Prof. 

Lin Shuhuang of the physics department of Beijing 
Teacher s College. The results were reported in EFHB 
Research. 

1984 Zhang Baosheng became a full-time subject of the 
military— run psi research team at what was called the 507 

° r Institute of Space Medico— Engineering 
(ISME) in Beijing. Thus, psi research at ISME was official 
and funded. 

1985 ^ an interview with Paul Dong in the March, 1985 issue 
of Pst Research, Larissa Vilenskaya asked if Chinese psi 
research was continuing. He replied that the government 
ordered the scientists not to refer publicly to their work. 

The research continues but is published only in special 
journals for internal use only. 

1985 (August) At the 1985 convention of the Parapsyphological 
Association, H.E. Puthoff of SRI International reported an 
attempt to repeat some experiments reported by researchers 
from the People s Republic of China at the 1982 convention 
of the P arapsychological Association. The repetition was 
partially successful, although smaller in magnitude than the 
Chinese results. 

1985 (August) A PRC-made film on qigong was presented 
during a workshop on the "Status of Psi Research in the 
People’s Republic of China" at the 28th Annual Convention 
of the P arapsychological Association in Medford, MA, 


Approved For Release 2001/04/02 : CIA-RDP96-00792R00040030001 1 -9 


Approved For Release 2001/04/02 : CIA-RDP96-00792R000400300011-9 

406 Parapsychology in the Soviet Union 


August 12. 1985. The panel is described in Psi Research , 
1985 (Sep/Dec), 4(3/4), pp 126-129 

IVAiwUlA ••fj' 

1985 (September 5) Guangzhou University initiated first qigong 
course^ M ' "TI-c c « ^ r 

s v r t (■ i'if 'I * y J W-vtT/ c J f-u . 

1985 (September 14—26) A delegation of Chinese doctors who 
study the therapeutic effects of jQigong met with American 
physicians at the Long Island Jewish Medical Center and 
Cambridge Hospital, Cambridge, MA. Tic 

1985 (September 17—21) A national qigong conference was held 
in Xian. 


1985 (December) The China Qigong Science Association gained 
government approval. 

1986 Interest in qigong expanded after several highly successful 
demonstrations were highly publicized. 




GV Ui 


& & e /, 


■Wa 
^ Gv 

"V 


1987 The ISME team produced a film about PK in which 
Zhang Baosheng served as subject. It showed a marked 
medical pill passing through glass. Military support of psi 
research was indicated when this film was awarded a 
"Scientific Research Achievement Prize" of the second class 
by the Spacefight Department. 


1987 Dr. Qian Zuesen was named chair of the Chinese Science 
and Technology Association, which coordinates Chinese 
scientific research. He strongly supported qigong research. 

1987 (Late) In a directive, the Educational Department for the 
first time listed qigong training courses in Chinese univer- 
sities. Qigong treatment clinics were set up and hospitals 
expanded qigong departments. The Party informally 
changed its earlier ruling, giving private instructions over a 
period of time to some of the Party’s senior leaders. Many 
of the leaders themselves were convinced by qigong. 


1988 (October) An International Qigong Science Convention was 
held in Beijing. A total of 142 papers from six countries in 
Asia were given. 

1988 (November) The World Academic Society of Medical 
Qigong was formed, with members from over 20 countries. 

1988 (November) A Second National Conference of the Chinese 


Approved For Release 2001/04/02 : CIA-RDP96-00792R000400300011-9 


Approved For Release 2001/04/02 : CIA-RDP96-00792R000400300011-9 

Chronology (Parapsychology in China ) 407 


Society of Somatic Science was held in Beijing. 

1989 (September) A second International Qigong Convention, 
together with the First National Old People’s Qigong Study 
Convention, was held in Xian in Shanxi Province. Over 
600 papers were presented. 

1990 Lin Shuhuang of Beijing Teacher’s College was promoted 
to head of the College’s Scientific Research Coordinating 
Office. He established the Comprehensive Technology In- 
stitute, which has the official support of the Chinese Na- 
tional Science Foundation, enabling him to conduct official 
psi (somatic science) research. 


Approved For Release 2001/04/02 : CIA-RDP96-00792R000400300011-9