Tai Chi Master’s ‘Empty Force’ proves to be no shield - Shen Hongxun
Shen Hongxun is a Tai Chi teacher who claims to have mastered, and to be able to exhibit, the Empty Force (and other ’special forces’). The Empty Force supposedly enables a practitioner to hurl people to the ground without touching them. Dr. Shen offers week-long seminars (tuition fee [pounds]300) for those wishing to acquire these skills.
Following such a course held in Newport in Britain in 1995, an attendee, Paul Brewer, wrote a report for issue 5 of the Tai Chi Chaun journal extolling Shens demonstrations of his powers.
Issue 6 of the journal contained two skeptical letters in response. One from a highly respected Tai Chi teacher, Dan Docherty (a very amusing letter), and one from Rob Morton.
Issue 8 contained a rebuttal from Shen, and featured three photographs (shades of levitating TM-ers!) showing an adult male falling to the floor and rolling out of a room, propelled by the waving hands of Shen. It also published a letter from Brewer, challenging Docherty and Morton to put their money where their pens were, inviting them to attend the next seminar, and promising to refund their tuition fees if they did not become convinced of Shens special powers.
Docherty and Morton duly attended. On the first day, before the seminar commenced, Docherty brandished his [pounds]300 and stated that he was happy to pay, but wished first to have a demonstration of the powers. He told Shen, both in Mandarin Chinese and in English (to avoid any confusion), what he was about to do. He slowly approached Shen, gave him time to summon/prepare/deploy his special powers, and proceeded to pour a liter of water over him. Needless to say, Docherty did not collapse and roll out on the room, the water did not take detour around Dr. Shen’s head, nor did it spontaneously leap into the jug. Thereupon Docherty and Morton left the seminar.
I have summarized it here, and details to the above can - at this writing anyway - be found on the World Wide Web. Visit www.taichichuan.co.uk/wudang - it featured a video still showing Shen physically attempting to fend off the water. Rob Morton appears to be aware both of CSICOP and of Randi’s challenges.
There is a lot more detail, and I have access to the Tai Chi journals plus a pamphlet about Dr. Shens teachings. (Sample quote: “The Qigong master commands the ability to see the past and into the future. This ability is used to track down criminals.”)
Fraser Dingwall reports from South Sea, Hampshire, U.K.
by Fraser Dingwall