The Hongcheng Magic Liquid incident was a

scam A scam, or a confidence trick, is an attempt to defraud a person or group after first gaining their Trust (emotion), trust. Confidence tricks exploit victims using a combination of the victim's credulity, naivety, compassion, vanity, confidence ...

in China where Wang Hongcheng (; born 20 August 1954), a bus driver from

Harbin Harbin, ; zh, , s=哈尔滨, t=哈爾濱, p=Hā'ěrbīn; IPA: . is the capital of Heilongjiang, China. It is the largest city of Heilongjiang, as well as being the city with the second-largest urban area, urban population (after Shenyang, Lia ...

with no scientific education, claimed in 1983 that he could turn regular water into a fuel as flammable as petrol by simply dissolving a few drops of his liquid in it. He founded the Hongcheng Magic Liquid company with funds from Chinese governmental agencies and other supporters, raising a total of 300 million yuan (US$37 million), but no product was ever released. Around that time, in 1994, the Chinese Government, alarmed by an increase in

pseudoscience Pseudoscience consists of statements, beliefs, or practices that claim to be both scientific and factual but are incompatible with the scientific method. Pseudoscience is often characterized by contradictory, exaggerated or unfalsifiable cl ...

and

superstition A superstition is any belief or practice considered by non-practitioners to be irrational or supernatural, attributed to fate or magic (supernatural), magic, perceived supernatural influence, or fear of that which is unknown. It is commonly app ...

s in the post-Mao era, made a declaration decrying the deterioration of science education in the country, taking several measures to improve science education and to improve the prevalence of science and technology in courts. One of these efforts was to require the scientific authoritative journal ''

Science and Technology Daily ''Science and Technology Daily'' (, Keji Ribao) is the official newspaper of the Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China Ministry may refer to: Government * Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of ...

'' to carry an article critical of Hongcheng's invention, which had been previously rejected at several major Chinese publications. This created a growing publicity and opposition of Hongcheng's invention, silencing his supporters. In 1995 Hongcheng refused an invitation to carry out a scientific appraisal of his invention at Beijing, and the notable scientist and debunker

He Zuoxiu He Zuoxiu (; born 1927) is a Chinese nuclear physicist and member of Chinese Academy of Sciences. He is a member of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and a self-described "steadfast believer in Marxism". Along with Sima Nan, He is known as a "cr ...

and 40 other scientists made a statement calling for the Chinese Government to investigate his claims. Hongcheng was eventually arrested, put to trial, and in 1998, was found guilty of fraud and deceit and condemned to 10 years of prison.

Invention and initial experiments

Wang Hongcheng was a bus driver from

, a former soldier with ninth-grade educationMeaning that he was schooled until the age of 14 or 15 years old. The magazine stating this is from the US, "ninth-grade" in the US corresponds to the first year of

High school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

and no scientific training. In 1983 he claimed that he invented a liquid that could transform a liter of regular water into a fuel by simply adding two or three drops of his liquid, and that this resulting fuel was as combustible as petrol. Hongcheng called it "the fifth greatest invention of China", in a reference to the

four Great Inventions The Four Great Inventions are inventions from ancient China that are celebrated in Chinese culture for their historical significance and as symbols of ancient China's advanced science and technology. They are the compass, gunpowder, papermaking ...

of China, and his invention became more popular, finally reaching on 28 January 1993 the front pages of a major national newspaper. In the winter of 1985, Wang showed this technique in Beijing, Hebei,

Zhejiang ) , translit_lang1_type2 = , translit_lang1_info2 = ( Hangzhounese) ( Ningbonese) (Wenzhounese) , image_skyline = 玉甑峰全貌 - panoramio.jpg , image_caption = View of the Yandang Mountains , image_map = Zhejiang i ...

and Shanghai.

Hongcheng Magic Liquid company

The Chinese security and military departments started to look into his claims and funded his research.From a Carl Sagan article, the same text also appeared verbatim in his book

The Demon-Haunted World ''The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark'' is a 1995 book by the astronomer and science communicator Carl Sagan. (Four of the 25 chapters were written with Ann Druyan.) In it, Sagan aims to explain the scientific method to lay ...

Does truth matter?
, by

Carl Sagan Carl Edward Sagan (; ; November 9, 1934December 20, 1996) was an American astronomer, planetary scientist and science communicator. His best known scientific contribution is his research on the possibility of extraterrestrial life, including e ...

, pages 8–9 * In 1992–1993 Hongcheng founded a company called ''Hongcheng Magic Liquid'' to manufacture his product and raised a total of 300 million yuan (US$37 million). No product, working or otherwise, was ever commercially released.

Chinese Government reaction and repercussions

In 1994 the Chinese Government was alarmed by a recent rise in pseudoscience and a revival of old superstition, and issued a declaration declaring the rise of superstition and ignorance, how the science education had declined among the population, and how it would make efforts to combat this situation. After this declaration,

Song Jian Song Jian (; born 29 December 1931) is a Chinese aerospace engineer, demographer, and politician. He was deputy chief designer of China's submarine-launched ballistic missile (JL-1) and one of the country's leading scientists in the post-Cultura ...

, then chief director of the Chinese National Science Committee, held a conference on how to carry this work among the public. Song Jian was then told at the conference that an article

debunking A debunker is a person or organization that exposes or discredits claims believed to be false, exaggerated, or pretentious. "to expose or excoriate (a claim, assertion, sentiment, etc.) as being pretentious, false, or exaggerated: to debunk adv ...

Hongcheng's invention had been refused publication in three major national newspapers and one scientific publication. Song Jian then required ''

'', the most authoritative newspaper in China's science and technology,Science and Technology Daily
chinaculture.org to publish it. This publication explained that when Hongcheng's invention hit newspaper front pages in 1993, different newspapers reported different proportions of oil and water in their announcements, and used this to make a critical analysis. It publicized the invention, started an opposition feeling, and silenced Hongcheng and their supporters.

Fraud conviction

After the public backlash caused by He Zuoxiu's article, the Chinese people started to realize that Hongcheng's "technique" was a fraud. Hongcheng faced growing criticism from scientists and media. He Zuoxiu, a member of the

Chinese Academy of Sciences The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS; ) is the national academy for natural sciences and the highest consultancy for science and technology of the People's Republic of China. It is the world's largest research organization, with 106 research i ...

as well a notable scientist and debunker, had been invited several times by Hongcheng's supporters to visit the northeast and watch his invention in action. In 1995, Zuoxiu asked them to Beijing to pass a scientific appraisal of his liquid, as the country capital would be a proper place for such a scientific and universal invention. Hongcheng refused, prompting Zuoxiu and a group of other 40 scientists to ask the top Chinese legislative body, the

People's Political Consultative Conference The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is a political advisory body in the People's Republic of China and a central part of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)'s united front system. Its members advise and put proposals ...

, to investigate his claims. After this declaration, his invention collapsed by itself, and it was finally found that it was a fraud. In 1998 he was found guilty of fraud and deceit and sent to prison for 10 years (online translatio

Hongcheng acquired the status of a legendary figure, because some people thought that it was a case of

cover-up A cover-up is an attempt, whether successful or not, to conceal evidence of wrongdoing, error, incompetence, or other embarrassing information. Research has distinguished personal cover-ups (covering up one's own misdeeds) from relational co ...

or of

free energy suppression Free energy suppression (or new energy suppression) is a conspiracy theory that technologically viable, pollution-free, no-cost energy sources are being suppressed by governments, corporations, or advocacy groups. Devices allegedly suppressed in ...

, where he would be imprisoned not because his formula would not really work, but because of refusing to release his secret formula to the government.

Political and cultural context

The Chinese Government were alarmed by this and other similar cases of promotion of pseudoscience even before Hongcheng's refusal to carry a scientific appraisal at Beijing and the publicity it carried. The Chinese government decided to tighten the appraisal system for scientific claims and other measures like creating science and technology courts. After the death of Mao Zedong, several Western pseudoscience theories appeared in rural areas, together with the return to

ancient China The history of China spans several millennia across a wide geographical area. Each region now considered part of the Chinese world has experienced periods of unity, fracture, prosperity, and strife. Chinese civilization first emerged in the Y ...

practices like

ancestor worship The veneration of the dead, including one's ancestors, is based on love and respect for the deceased. In some cultures, it is related to beliefs that the dead have a continued existence, and may possess the ability to influence the fortune of t ...

astrology Astrology is a range of Divination, divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that propose that information about human affairs and terrestrial events may be discerned by studying the apparent positions ...

and

fortune telling Fortune telling is the spiritual practice of prediction, predicting information about a person's life.J. Gordon Melton, Melton, J. Gordon. (2008). ''The Encyclopedia of Religious Phenomena''. Visible Ink Press. pp. 115–116. The scope of for ...

. The government newspaper had lamented "the superstition of

feudal Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was a combination of legal, economic, military, cultural, and political customs that flourished in Middle Ages, medieval Europe from the 9th to 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a way of struc ...

ideology is raising again in the Chinese countryside".The effects of the recent Cultural Revolution had caused almost a generation to receive incomplete or no education, had reduced the literacy rates severely, and had killed or driven away many

intellectuals An intellectual is a person who engages in critical thinking, research, and Human self-reflection, reflection about the nature of reality, especially the nature of society and proposed solutions for its normative problems. Coming from the wor ...

. Individual claiming to have "special powers" claimed that they project their Qi out of their body to cure people, and called "masters of

Qi Gong Qigong ()) is a system of coordinated body-posture and movement, breathing, and meditation said to be useful for the purposes of health, spirituality, and martial arts training. With roots in Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chinese medicine, Chin ...

", one of them being arrested after causing the death of several patients. The Asian Rhinoceros was being driven to extinction because pulverized

Rhinoceros horn A rhinoceros ( ; ; ; : rhinoceros or rhinoceroses), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates (perissodactyls) in the family Rhinocerotidae; it can also re ...

were said to prevent

impotence Erectile dysfunction (ED), also referred to as impotence, is a form of sexual dysfunction in males characterized by the persistent or recurring inability to achieve or maintain a Human penis, penile erection with sufficient rigidity and durat ...

, despite the fact that Rhinoceros horn is composed of

keratin Keratin () is one of a family of structural fibrous proteins also known as ''scleroproteins''. It is the key structural material making up Scale (anatomy), scales, hair, Nail (anatomy), nails, feathers, horn (anatomy), horns, claws, Hoof, hoove ...

, the same substance that is present in

human hair Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals. The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and f ...

and

fingernails A nail is a protective plate characteristically found at the tip of the digits (fingers and toes) of all primates, corresponding to the claws in other tetrapod animals. Fingernails and toenails are made of a tough rigid protein called alpha-ke ...

. To address all these issues, the

government of China The government of the People's Republic of China is based on a system of people's congress within the parameters of a unitary communist state, in which the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) enacts its policies through people's congresses. ...

and the

Chinese Communist Party The Communist Party of China (CPC), also translated into English as Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Founded in 1921, the CCP emerged victorious in the ...

made on 5 December 1994 a joint public declaration called "Some Suggestions on How to Reinforce the Popularization of Science". In it they lamented the recent withering of public education and the growth of pseudoscience and anti-science ideas, and then indicated that they would reinforce the public education about science. hosted at facts.org Most officials support the effort to root out

in China, although the government still sends occasionally mixed signals, like one incident when a high-ranking official ordered the

Guangming Daily The ''Guangming Daily'', also known as the ''Enlightenment Daily'', is a national Chinese-language daily newspaper published in the People's Republic of China. It was established in 1949 as the official paper of the China Democratic League. S ...

to pull a letter critical of Hongcheng at the last minute. He Zuoxiu explains that corruption will also have to be fought at the same time as pseudoscience, since some officials and journalists may "have a stake" in these inventions, and would be harmed by their exposure.

Notes

References

External links

* (online translatio

*{{cite web, author=Anonymous Science Channel Source , script-title=zh:浙商陈金义的"水变油"试验 , date=28 May 2005 , language=Chinese , url=http://www.bioon.com/popular/Class405/lishi/200505/110865.html , url-status=dead , archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090502003935/http://www.bioon.com/popular/Class405/lishi/200505/110865.html , archivedate=2 May 2009 (online translatio

Water fuel Confidence tricks