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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 11) 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) Articlc in People ‘8 Daily criticized the Sichuan Daily report as unscientific.

1979                      (September) A major Chinese science journal, Ziran Zazhi [Nature Journal], carried a report on ‘ ^f nonvisual ^lt 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) %’iran 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 EF “Do You  was produced by the Central News el 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.

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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 Dre 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 newletter, the EFIID 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 bc unfounded. They called for “fair but strictly controlled” tests to lead to a final judgment. This disapproval of psi research wag widely published in the two most important government—authorized media, Xinghua News Agency and the People ‘8 Daily.

1982 February 25 People ‘8 Daily prcscnted the view that no so id evidence or 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 were mostly negative, with the exception of those of (Zhang Baoshcng).

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

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1982 (May 13) Both sides of the debate appealed to the Party. The 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 Parapsychological 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 DFHB  Research.

1984     Zhang Baosheng became a full—time subject of the military—run psi research team at what was called the 507 Institute, or the Institute of Space Medico—Engineering  (ISMD) in Beijing. Thus, psi research at ISME was official and funded.

1985 In an interview with Paul Dong in the March, 1985 issue of Psi 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 Parapsychological Association, H.D. 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 Parapsychological 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 Parapsychological Association in Medford, MA 406          Parapsychology in the Soviet Union

August 12 1985. The panel is described in Pei Research,

1985 (September 14—26) A delegation of Chinese doctors who study the therapeutic effects of •gong met with

American physicians at the Long Island Jewish Medical Center and Cambridge Hospital, Cambridge, MA.

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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.

1987       The ISMD 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 mdicated when this film was awarded a “Scientific Research Achievement Prize” of the second class  by the Spacefight Department.

1987 Dr. Qian Zuesen wag 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 Bix countries in Asia were given.

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

1988              (November) A Second National Conference of the Chinese 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.

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