A Chinese acupuncturist paraded in front of onlookers in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality with more than 800 acupuncture needles in his forehead during a self-acupuncture performance on Tuesday, a local newspaper reported.

 

Passersby couldn't help crying out when Wei Shengchu, a 60-year-old acupuncturist and cosmetic surgeon from southwestern Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, appeared in downtown Jiefangbei street on Tuesday afternoon, reported the Chongqing Morning Post.

 

"I shook with fear when I saw his hedgehog-head. It seemed like he must be hurting himself." said a lady in her sixties.

 

Some people thought the needles could do harm to the body and thought it was a fake performance.

 

Wei invited onlookers to experience inserting the needles themselves. Donning a pair of skates, he skated around the street to prove he was quite OK with the acupuncture.

 

"Inserting the needles is quite enjoyable for me. Whether I'm working or taking a rest, I often insert needles into my head. It is really comfortable", said Wei.

 

It takes Wei several hours to insert 800 needles into his head and face.

 

Wei said he plans to insert 2,008 needles into his head in 2008in Beijing when the city hosts the 2008 Olympics. He said has already booked a hotel room for this purpose well over a year in advance.

 

Wei's passion for self-acupuncture stems from a 2002 newspaper clipping which reported that a Canadian had a Guinness World Record for inserting 420 needles into his arms.

 

"It's not much compared to our centuries-old acupuncture," thought Wei, who began experimenting with inserting needles into his body.

 

Wei finally achieved his Guinness World Record for self-acupuncture when he inserted 1,790 needles into his face in 2004.

 

Acupuncture is part of traditional Chinese medicine with a history of over 2,000 years. It involves insertion of fine metallic needles on the body to relieve pain and cure diseases.

 

(Xinhua News Agency January 13, 2007)