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)

一石激起千层浪。近日，甘肃省一位在网上很活跃的卫生厅厅长再次成为众人关注的焦点。该厅长宣称，省里数十个普通医务人员打通了任督二脉——传统意义上说，该武术技能可让他们感觉精力充沛。

刘维忠在新浪微博上发帖称，通过正确的方式呼吸并引导体内能量，也就是我们说的“气功”，这些医务人员打通了任督二脉。（“任督二脉”是武术中的桥段。）

在中国颇受欢迎的武侠小说里，拥有这样一门武艺往往会使故事的主人公战无不胜。

帖子于周三发布，里面写道：在47名参加培训的当地医务人员中，有41位成功地打通了任督二脉。大部分学员通督后感觉精力充沛，既往疾患明显减轻或痊愈。

这位54岁的卫生厅厅长在新浪微博上吸引了100多万人关注。

不过，对此，中国的网民们很快做出了负面的回应。

一位署名“大侠”的网友质问刘维忠究竟是功夫大师还是卫生厅官员。

一些网友则表示困惑，医务人员不行医，却跑去练功。

刘维忠回应称，他所说的这个术语源自传统中医，常出现在当代小说家的笔下，跟功夫没啥关系。

“练习气功，打通任督二脉，身体会更健康。”他这么说道。

尽管刘维忠并非中医方面的专业人士，但是一直以来，他都在借助微博来推广传统的健康知识和民间偏方。

之前，刘维忠还发过一个帖子，称接受癌症手术后吃猪蹄有助于身体恢复，由此他被人们戏称为“猪蹄厅长”。

国家行政学院教授竹立家表示，因为有着特殊的身份，政府官员在网络上的言论须谨慎。

他说：“官员说出的话有着意想不到的影响力。”

刘维忠则表示，他从来没通过微博给病人看病，也从来没有给特定的医疗产品做过任何推广。

“中医治疗疗效好，而且费用低，”他说，“所以我想要大众对此有所了解。”

（China.org.cn Wendy 译）