Jiangxi resident Wang, 61, has long been known at home as a “qigong master” who is able to heal cancer and other complicated diseases with his supernatural abilities, which he acquired in the 1980s, the newspaper reported. He remained largely unknown from the general public until this month when photos of him with dozens of celebrities and senior officials emerged on the internet.

Video clips on the internet feature Wang performing acts in which he uses “will power” to move snakes into covered vessels or to control a steering wheel without touching it. Pointing to a photo of himself with late Indonesian president Haji Mohammad Suharto, Wang also said he used qigong to extract Suharto's kidney stone.

But reports in online and traditional media have been quick to point out that there is no evidence Wang has the supernatural powers or qigong skills he has claimed. His techniques were nothing but shoddy magic tricks, critics said after closely scrutinising video clips of his performance.

“It doesn’t matter if my qigong is real or not, as long as it does not violate laws,” Wang said in response to his critics, in an interview with the Beijing . He also denied the fraud allegations, saying he has never charged anyone for qigong performances. “I wouldn’t have millionaires … as my friends if I were such a shameless person,” he was quoted as saying. Phone calls to Wang from the South China Morning Post went unanswered.

In the CCTV report, a Jiangxi businessman who said he was Wang’s apprentice accused the practitioner of taking as much as 10 million yuan (HK$13 million) as tuition fee. The businessman then found “exclusive teachings” available in books sold online for 11 yuan.