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Qigong master 气功大师 (qi gong da shi)

Wang Lin, a self-proclaimed qigong (breathing exercise) master, became famous in the early 1990s when there was a national craze for qigong. Wang hit the headlines after Jack Ma, founder and former CEO of Alibaba, was seen visiting him in his hometown in Luxi county, Jiangxi province. Soon, netizens posted photographs of Wang with many other famous personalities, including film stars Jet Li, Jackie Chan.

This triggered a media backlash against Wang and sparked public discussions on why some entrepreneurs, film stars and politicians have been paying tribute to the "qigong master". Subsequently, it was found that Wang acted more like a sophisticated "broker" between businesspeople and officials, and celebrities and other elites.