Lords of illusion

Behind the magic acts put on privately by some self-proclaimed masters of qigong lies a much more dexterous skill of pulling strings and massaging the egos of China's rich and powerful.

The downfall of a qigong master does not start with the loss of physical prowess; it usually starts with unwanted limelight, such as the visit of e-commerce doyen Ma Yun, kung fu superstar Jet Li and actress-turned-director Zhao Wei.

When the trio of luminaries descended upon the palatial home of Wang Lin in a county town in Jiangxi province, the media spotlight followed their footsteps. As a matter of fact, Master Wang did not eschew it. He devotes two floors (out of a total five) to the exhibition of photos he has taken with celebrities and prominent officials. He loves showing reporters around this personal gallery and reminds them to focus well before taking snapshots of his photo collection. Or at least he used to before the press turned against him.