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In 1997, Shanghai TV's "No. 1 in the World" program staged an amazing performance. A man named Li Jun broke the Guinness Book of World Records by holding his breath in the water for two hours and 27 minutes.
This feat brought him into the spotlight in an instant, and then he changed his name to Li Yichang and began to recruit apprentices and open high-priced qigong classes. His fame is soaring, and he has even attracted celebrities such as Faye Wong and Ma Yun to learn from him.
Ten years later, however, a video reveals the truth about the performance: it turns out that the glass jar is cleverly divided into two areas, and Li Jun is just sitting in the empty area at the back.
The revelation of this scam unravels a shocking story of how an ordinary person can use people's curiosity and trust to build a vast business empire, only to collapse in the face of the truth.
The story of Li Jun began in the early 90s of the last century, when he was just a young man who left the theater and wandered around. In order to stand out in a competitive society, he racked his brains and finally came up with the stunt of "human body electrification".
At a Bashu stunt competition, Li Jun demonstrated his "human body electrification" stunt. He stood alone in the center of the instrument, holding the wire in his left hand and the wire in his right hand, and when the electricity passed through his body, the light bulb next to him turned on! Although this performance did not make him stand out in the competition, it did attract the attention of judge Qiu Xiaobao.
With the help of Qiu Xiaobao, Li Jun formed his own stunt team. They toured around and demonstrated the magic of "electrifying the human body". However, this approach did not bring him the expected wealth and fame.
Li Jun gradually realized that it was difficult to achieve his ambitions by relying on these tricks alone.
So, he set his sights on a broader field - Taoism. In 1998, Li Jun founded a promotion association in Beibei, Chongqing, in the name of protecting Taoist culture, and served as its president.
This move allowed him to successfully enter the celebrity circle and meet many industry leaders. Li Jun knows very well that in order to gain a foothold in this circle, it is far from enough to have tricks in the rivers and lakes.
In order to increase his credibility, Li Jun began to search for an old Taoist priest who lived in seclusion in the mountains. The hard work paid off, and in 2001, he got his wish and entered the door of "Chen Liansheng of Longhu Mountain".
Although many Taoist predecessors did not recognize him and considered him to have impure motives, this status undoubtedly paved the way for his later career.
In this way, Li Jun completed his gorgeous transformation from a street performer to a "magical Taoist". He began to dress up in Taoist clothes, give lectures and preach, and hold various courses in the name of Taoist health preservation.
The young man who used to perform "human body electrification" on the street has now become an admired "Taoist chief".
Li Jun's transformation came at the right time. In that special era, people had a strong curiosity and yearning for mysterious powers and health regimens. Li Jun keenly seized this opportunity and packaged himself as a "Taoist chief" who combines mystery, wisdom, and strength.
His classes have attracted many rich and famous, and even some seriously ill people see him as a last straw.
However, how much of Li Jun's "success" is true Taoist wisdom, and how much is an elaborate commercial scam? Over time, the truth will come out.
But at that time, Li Jun – now Li Yichang – was at the pinnacle of his career, enjoying the good times of fame and fortune, unaware of the storm that could destroy all his accomplishments.
With the success of the "Underwater Breath-Holding" performance, Li Jun - now Li Yichang - ushered in the peak of his career. Keen to capture people's yearning for mystical powers and their desire for health and longevity, he began to launch a series of high-priced qigong classes.
The tuition fees for these courses are staggering: an ordinary qigong class costs more than 100,000 yuan in just seven days, and the price of the president class is even more sky-high, and even a trial class costs tens of thousands of yuan.
However, instead of deterring students, the high price has stimulated curiosity and curiosity. Many people think that such an expensive course must contain an incredible secret.
The most striking aspect of Mr. Li's course was the case of a terminally ill president's "miraculous recovery." Soon after attending the course, the president's condition miraculously improved.
This case undoubtedly gave Li Yichang great confidence and persuasiveness, and also made more people believe in his "miraculous skills". Soon, patients with various incurable diseases flocked to the school, hoping to regain their health through Li Yichang's course.
However, how much of this "miracle" is true? Those seriously ill patients who broke the bank to study eventually had to return to the hospital for routine treatment.
But in the public opinion environment at the time, these doubts were quickly drowned out in praise and worship.
As the market for qigong classes gradually became saturated, Li Yichang began to expand his business to other fields such as health preservation and Taoism. His fame is getting bigger and bigger, and he has successfully attracted Faye Wong, Ma Yun, Fan Xinman, Li Yapeng and other celebrities to become his disciples.
The addition of these celebrities undoubtedly added to Mr. Li's career and brought his influence to a new height.
In 2007, Mr. Li appeared on the cover of the weekly magazine Southern People, marking the pinnacle of his career. In this process, Mr. Li has shown strong business acumen and marketing ability.
He is good at using the media to create his mysterious and profound image; He knows how to create topics and keep the public on track; He knows how to use celebrity to expand his influence.
In class, Li Yichang always talked about the mysterious and difficult Taoist theories such as "the unity of heaven and man" and "the harmony of yin and yang" with an unfathomable look. His speech and demeanor are full of mystery, as if he can show extraordinary abilities at any time.
Although the students often did not understand well, they were deeply attracted by this sense of mystery and became more convinced that they had followed a real "master".
However, just when Li Yichang felt that he was about to "soar into an immortal", a storm was quietly brewing. Those who were attracted by his "miraculous skills" began to doubt his abilities.
Some sensible observers began to question the authenticity of his performances and teachings.
Despite this, Mr. Li does not seem to be aware of the approaching crisis. He continued to enjoy the good times of fame and fortune, immersed in the "myth" he had constructed.
His classes are still overcrowded, and the numbers on his bank account are growing. Little did he know, however, that his carefully constructed business empire was in danger of collapsing.
His "myth" is about to be shattered, and he himself will face unprecedented challenges.
Just as Lee's career was at its peak, a storm crept in to destroy all of his accomplishments. In 2007, someone revealed the truth about his "underwater breathless" performance that year, as well as his behavior of "making money in business".
This news was like a bombshell, dragging Li Yichang from the altar fiercely.
Fang Zhouzi, a well-known popular science writer, mercilessly pointed out Li Yichang's deception. He bluntly criticized: "This so-called 'Taoist chief' is just squeezing the hard-earned money of ordinary people unscrupulously under the banner of health preservation.
Such acts are heinous and must be exposed and stopped.
Immediately after, a video went viral, completely exposing the secret of the "underwater apnea" performance. It turned out that the seemingly magical transparent glass tank was cleverly divided into two separate areas: the front half was filled with water, and the back half was completely dry.
It was in this dry area that Li Jun sat and "meditated". This simple and ingenious layout instantly shattered the mysterious image that Li Yiyi had carefully created for many years.
As the investigation deepened, more of Li Yichang's bad deeds were exposed. The "human body electrification" deception he used in his early years was also revealed. It turns out that this seemingly magical performance is nothing more than the use of simple physical principles and some small tricks.
Those viewers who once marveled at him now only feel deep disappointment and anger.
What's even more shocking is that Li Yichang has also been exposed to many scandals such as defaulting on debts and allegedly defiling female students. The accusations snowballed and almost drowned him out.
The students who once believed in him came forward to tell their experiences of being deceived. There were people who broke their money to attend his classes without receiving any substantial help; Some people were blinded by his "miracle skills" and delayed the normal time for treatment.
In the face of overwhelming doubts and accusations, Li Yichang chose the most cowardly way - to escape. He abruptly declared a "retreat" and disappeared without a trace.
However, the fact is that he has quietly taken refuge in the United States. This once commanding "magical Taoist" has now fallen to the point of fleeing.
In the United States, Mr. Lee is trying to make a comeback. He did everything he could to promote his qigong classes, hoping to rebuild his "empire" in this strange land.
However, the American people did not buy his so-called "miracle work". In this society that advocates science and pays attention to empirical evidence, Li Yichang's trick will not work at all.
His lessons did not stir up a ripple here, and the scene that once flocked to him no longer exists.
In the end, the desperate Li Yichang could only secretly return to China again. This time, however, he found that he had lost the opportunity to continue cheating. Those who once flocked to him now shunned him.
Even his disciples hated him, believing him to have tarnished his reputation.
Realizing that he could not face the public, Li Yichang chose to live in seclusion. This once commanding "magical Taoist" now doesn't even dare to set foot in the Taoist temple.
His dreams of becoming immortals and attaining the Tao eventually came to naught.
Li Yichang's story, from glory to decline, is only ten years. It has taught us a profound lesson: no matter how well-designed a scam is, it will eventually fall apart in the face of the truth.
And those who gain fame and fortune by deception and falsehood will only bring more harm to themselves in the end.
This "miraculous Taoist", who once made countless people crazy, can now only hide in a dark corner, reminiscing about that short-lived glory. His story serves as a warning that in this age of rapid information dissemination, any attempt to deceive the public will eventually be hidden.
Li Yichang's story is not an isolated case. In that particular era, it was not uncommon for people like Li Yi to use the name of Taoism or other religions to attract attention and defraud money.
The emergence of this phenomenon reflects some problems in the society at that time, which is worthy of our deep thought.
First of all, it reflects people's yearning for mystical powers and their desire to get rich quick. Against the backdrop of rapid social change, many people hope to find a shortcut to make their dreams come true.
This kind of psychology happens to be exploited by some people with ulterior motives. Li Yichang grasped this psychology and attracted a large number of followers with his "magical" performances and "profound" theories.
Second, this case exposes the lack of sufficient discernment of emerging things in society at that time. In an environment where information is not transparent enough, it is easy to gain people's trust for something that seems "unfathomable", and the truth is often hidden under flowery packaging.
Li Yichang's tricks such as "holding his breath underwater" and "qigong to cure diseases" took advantage of people's ignorance of scientific principles.
In addition, this incident also reflects the lack of supervision. For these activities under the banner of "health preservation" and "cultivation", the relevant departments lack effective supervision means, which gives some scammers an opportunity to take advantage of.
Li Yichang's ability to collect money in vain for many years is also related to poor supervision to some extent.
Mr. Lee's experience has taught us a profound lesson: not only do we need to reveal the nature of this scam, but more importantly, we must keep a clear head and be cautious in everything we do.
We must be all the more vigilant against those who flaunt and deceive under various banners. Don't be tempted by the promise of high returns, and don't be fooled by celebrity effects.
Remember, pie doesn't fall from the sky, and any gain requires effort.
Finally, we would like to call on the relevant authorities to strengthen supervision, expose all kinds of scams in a timely manner, and protect the legitimate rights and interests of the public. Only in this way can we create a fairer and more transparent social environment where scammers like Mr. Li have nowhere to hide.
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