Chinese doctor aims to beat Blaine's record

[Guest guest]

A little off track but i thought interesting anyhow.

 

Taken from http://uk.news./040322/80/ep5c1.html

 

 

BEIJING (Reuters) - A Chinese herbalist schooled in Taoist fasting

methods has sealed himself in a glass cabin, out to beat the record

of 44 days without food set by U.S. magician David Blaine last year.

 

 

The China Daily pictured 50-year-old Chen Jianmin seated in the

small glass house perched 15 metres (49 feet) off the ground in a

mountain resort area in the southwest province of Sichuan.

 

 

Chen has been fasting since Saturday and plans to survive on nothing

but water for 49 days, five more than Blaine spent suspended in a

glass box over the River Thames in London, the paper said.

 

Chen, who claims he once went 81 days without food, was quoted as

saying his fast would attest to the wonders of traditional Chinese

medical science.

 

He derived his " magic of fasting " from ancient Taoist medical

scriptures, the paper said. Even today, Taoist practitioners are

known to adopt diets as minimal as grapes and water for days on end.

 

Blaine's stunt drew hordes of Londoners to the Tower Bridge.

Naysayers speculated his water may have been fortified, or that his

box perhaps was lined with a nutritional coating.

 

A local notary office will monitor Chen around the clock, along with

a medical team, the paper said. Prior to going into foodless

seclusion, Chen underwent a psychiatric exam.

 

 

Attilio