Controversial Chinese "magic doctor" Zhang Ying (張穎) took flight after the Taipei District Prosecutors' Office (台北地檢署) started investigating her, local media reported yesterday.
In response, prosecutor Ke Yi-fen (
PHOTO: LIN CHENG-KUNG, TAIPEI TIMES
Meanwhile, the Department of Health said that if Zhang continues dispensing medicine, she will face a maximum three-year sentence and NT$150,000 (US$4,000) fine, since she does not have a doctor's license in Taiwan.
Zhang, who currently resides in the US, arrived in Taiwan late last month with her Taiwan-born husband to visit relatives. In the past week she has been demonstrating her ability to "conjure up medicine pills out of thin air" (
Local reporters had said that Zhang is a state-certified "person with miraculous power" in China and that she charges exorbitant fees for her services.
Zhang also claims to be able to see through human bodies and diagnose their diseases. "When I see someone, it's as if that person is naked. That is why I try not to look at men because I blush," Zhang said.
Zhang was supposed to have demonstrated her powers on Thursday at a local television station. Her show, however, was interrupted and challenged by famous local magician Nien Li-jen (粘立人), who attended the performance. Nien said that Zhang's "supernatural powers" were nothing more than simple sleight-of-hand.
Nien found a small piece of wax under the table Zhang was using and said it had been prepared by Zhang or her assistants beforehand. After this, Zhang failed to conjure up any more medicine during her performance. "I could not concentrate my power in the presence of someone who doubted my abilities," Zhang claimed.
The episode -- which took place under the glare of the media spotlight -- came to the attention of local authorities, who dispatched health officials and prosecutors to look into the legality of Zhang's antics.
Zhang's mother-in-law, however, told prosecutors on Friday that Zhang had already moved out and that she had no idea where Zhang was going.
Meanwhile, Nien, along with his colleagues at the Taiwan Magicians' Association (
Local magicians also said that they would pay Zhang NT$3.2 million if she can successfully conjure up medicine pills out of thin air under their supervision.
Defending Zhang, however, were local extrasensory perception "experts" who insisted that there are things that humans cannot comprehend.
Lee Si-chen (
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