Spiritual masters cultivate a network of opportunity

For two decades, self-proclaimed qigong master Wang Lin led a comfortable life outside the media glare - until photos were leaked last week showing him receiving billionaire Alibaba founder Jack Ma Yun at his villa in Jiangxi's Luxi county.

For many, the image of Wang hobnobbing with the rich and famous focused overdue attention on the cosy relationship between such spiritual masters and the country's elite. It also reignited a heated debate over qigong itself. Is it a valuable healing practice or superstition?

Over the years, the 61-year-old qigong master cultivated an impressive network of powerful friends, including Liu Zhijun , the former railways minister who this month received a suspended death sentence for corruption.

After The Beijing News revealed Wang's July 3 meeting with Ma - the purpose of which remains unclear - internet users circulated photos of him rubbing shoulders with dozens of celebrities, such as action star Jet Li and actress Vicki Zhao Wei.

Previously, Wang had claimed to cure many patients - among them late Indonesian dictator Suharto. He once boasted he had turned down some 70 green-card offers from US intelligence agencies seeking to persuade him to emigrate.

In the meantime, Wang had made a fortune from his admirers, the paper said. He acquired a Rolls-Royce, three Hummers and a villa in a Yifeng county nature area.