The Internet-savvy health chief of Gansu province has kicked up a storm once again by claiming that dozens of ordinary medical workers had mastered a martial arts technique that is traditionally believed to make them all-powerful.

In a post on Sina Weibo, Liu Weizhong said that by correctly breathing and directing their body energy, known as qigong, the workers had - to use a martial arts phrase - "opened their governor and conception vessels".

Such a feat in popular Chinese kung fu novels generally makes the hero invincible.

The post on Wednesday said that 41 of the 47 trainees, all local medical workers, had succeeded in performing the technique and that most of them felt energetic afterwards, with previous conditions alleviated or even cured.

The 54-year-old health official has more than one million followers on Sina Weibo.

Yet Chinese netizens soon fought back with negative comments.

One online writer going by the name "Da Xia" asked whether Liu was a kung fu master or a health official.

Others wondered why medical workers would be practicing kung fu instead of practicing medicine.

In response, Liu said that the term he used had nothing to do with kung fu, and that the term had been appropriated from traditional Chinese medicine by the writers of popular novels.

"To achieve that by practicing qigong one can get healthier," he said.

Liu has long been promoting knowledge about traditional health and folk remedies through his micro blog, though he was not a major in traditional Chinese medicine.

A previous post from Liu that eating pig's feet can help people recover from cancer surgery earned him the nickname "pig feet chief".

Zhu Lijia, a professor from the Chinese Academy of Governance, said government officials should be careful on the Internet due to their special positions.

"Their words could have unexpected consequences," he said.

Liu said he never treats patients over the micro blog and never advertises particular health products.

"Traditional Chinese medicine is effective and cheap, so I want to let the public know about that," he said.

(China Daily May 24, 2012)

一石激起千層浪。近日，甘肅省一位在網上很活躍的衛生廳廳長再次成為眾人關注的焦點。該廳長宣稱，省里數十個普通醫務人員打通了任督二脈——傳統意義上說，該武術技能可讓他們感覺精力充沛。

劉維忠在新浪微博上發帖稱，通過正確的方式呼吸并引導體內能量，也就是我們說的“氣功”，這些醫務人員打通了任督二脈。（“任督二脈”是武術中的橋段。）

在中國頗受歡迎的武俠小說里，擁有這樣一門武藝往往會使故事的主人公戰無不勝。

帖子于周三發布，里面寫道：在47名參加培訓的當地醫務人員中，有41位成功地打通了任督二脈。大部分學員通督后感覺精力充沛，既往疾患明顯減輕或痊愈。

這位54歲的衛生廳廳長在新浪微博上吸引了100多萬人關注。

不過，對此，中國的網民們很快做出了負面的回應。

一位署名“大俠”的網友質問劉維忠究竟是功夫大師還是衛生廳官員。

一些網友則表示困惑，醫務人員不行醫，卻跑去練功。

劉維忠回應稱，他所說的這個術語源自傳統中醫，常出現在當代小說家的筆下，跟功夫沒啥關系。

“練習氣功，打通任督二脈，身體會更健康。”他這么說道。

盡管劉維忠并非中醫方面的專業人士，但是一直以來，他都在借助微博來推廣傳統的健康知識和民間偏方。

之前，劉維忠還發過一個帖子，稱接受癌癥手術后吃豬蹄有助于身體恢復，由此他被人們戲稱為“豬蹄廳長”。

國家行政學院教授竹立家表示，因為有著特殊的身份，政府官員在網絡上的言論須謹慎。

他說：“官員說出的話有著意想不到的影響力。”

劉維忠則表示，他從來沒通過微博給病人看病，也從來沒有給特定的醫療產品做過任何推廣。

“中醫治療療效好，而且費用低，”他說，“所以我想要大眾對此有所了解。”

（China.org.cn Wendy 譯）