The staff was filling the large vat with water, but the water level never surpassed the top of the small vat.
Detail of the top of the small vat, reportedly sealed.
Li Yi was preparing to exit the vat.
Shao Long Guan's introduction mentioned that Taoist Li Yi had created the "longest underwater survival" record.
Thirteen years ago, Taoist Li Yi, the abbot of Shao Long Guan on Jinyun Mountain in Chongqing, performed a stunt titled "Holding Breath Underwater for 2 Hours and 22 Minutes" on the Shanghai TV program *The Best in the World*. The official introduction of Shao Long Guan also wrote that Taoist Li Yi "created the highest record for 'underwater survival' at two hours and twenty-two minutes." However, many netizens suspected that Taoist Li Yi merely performed a magic trick and could not break the physiological limits of humans. Recently, the complete video of that episode has been uploaded online by netizens, lifting the veil on the so-called "underwater survival," sparking heated discussions among netizens.
What is referred to as "underwater survival"
On August 11, a netizen named asdfjlkjdsf uploaded *Taoist Li Yi's performance on the Shanghai Television show The Best in the World* online. The video is a recording of the January 19, 1997 episode of *The Best in the World*, approximately 15 minutes long. The performance was called *Underwater Survival*, and at the time, the host introduced Li Yi as "actor Li Jun."
Previously, the videos circulating online were only cleverly edited clips from the DVD set *Li Yi's Wisdom of Health Preservation*, showing Li Yi sitting in a fish tank surrounded by goldfish, accompanied by the statement: "On January 19, 1997, the Shanghai Television program *The Best in the World* truly witnessed an astonishing life miracle." This was followed by footage of a notary reading the notarial certificate. Phoenix TV's *Cultural Grand View Garden* also directly used this edited clip.
Before, netizens were misled into believing that Li Yi's "two-hour underwater survival" meant being submerged in water, but now, with the full video exposed, it turns out that the survival was actually inside a "water sandwich layer."
Just placing a basin of water on your head counts as underwater survival
After this program video was uploaded online, Fang Zhouzi reposted the video on Weibo (http://t.sina.com.cn) on the 13th and commented: "The amazing claim by Master Li about creating a 'record of two hours and twenty-two minutes of underwater survival' turned out, unsurprisingly, to be 'surviving for two hours and twenty-two minutes in a water sandwich layer.' To make him more comfortable, there might even have been hidden air tubes leading outside. Why go through all this trouble? Just putting a basin of water on your head would count as 'underwater survival.'"
Subsequently, Fang Zhouzi added further commentary: "Even without an air hole, it's nothing special. A person at rest needs to inhale about 0.25 liters of oxygen per minute, equivalent to 1.25 liters of air. Sitting still for 144 minutes requires only 0.18 cubic meters of air. The space in that sandwich layer is at least one cubic meter, more than enough. However, towards the end, when the oxygen becomes scarce, it might get uncomfortable, so it would be better to leave a vent at the bottom."
Li Yi: Not breathing underwater for two hours
Was Li Yi misunderstood by outsiders, or did he originally just perform without claiming to hold his breath underwater?
In the December 18, 2008 episode of Phoenix TV's *Three Men Walking*, Li Yi brought up that program himself, referring to it as prenatal breathing ("taixi"). "I once did a program in Shanghai where I survived underwater without breathing for two hours."
In the Phoenix TV program *Cultural Grand View Garden*, Li Yi said that during prenatal breathing, the body's energy consumption reaches its minimum limit. "Why do we breathe? Because of metabolism. The more we consume, the more our breathing accelerates. For example, when we run long distances, our breathing gets rapid. When we enter deep meditation, our nasal breathing becomes faint, like a turtle's hibernation ('guixi'), or prenatal breathing ('taixi')."
Li Yi continued: "Ordinary people breathe through their throats, meaning the air goes down to the throat. Some use chest breathing, where the air goes down to the chest. Others use dantian breathing, where the air stays much longer before exhaling. Once it reaches the heels, with faint nasal breathing and extended exhalation, it can significantly prolong life, making one's lifespan comparable to that of heaven and earth."
On July 26, during an interview with reporters, Li Yi stated that back then, three institutions were looking for people who could hold their breath underwater for television programs. For those practicing cultivation, it was simply about demonstrating the Daoist way to the world. However, Taoist Li Yi refused to answer whether the 142-minute underwater breath-holding was real: "I will only answer questions related to public concerns about health preservation," he said.
Netizen Comments
@Tianpin: I flew to Paris and survived in the sky for 13 hours.
@Pan Haitian: I was wrong. My IQ was forcibly lowered by the notary. I thought it was some kind of advanced magic, but it turned out they were openly sitting in a glass sandwich layer and then got it notarized as "underwater survival." I'm impressed. One day if I get stuck in the Huangpu River tunnel for two hours, I'll go to the notary office to get it notarized as "underwater survival."
@Qiantang Hebi Shuo: That's how it is, it's really a low-level magic trick. Inside it was dry, and there could have been an air passage. If he had real skills, he should have submerged his face in the water, even for ten minutes.
@Touwenzin Niu: How irresponsible was the notary office? They didn't carefully and rigorously check whether the bottom and top of the container were truly sealed. After just taking a quick look, they gave it their notarization!
Video Revelation
"Actor Li Jun" sat in a dry fish tank
At the beginning of the program, after host Tong Sanqiang and An Jing exchanged pleasantries, they began introducing the props used by Li Yi for the "underwater survival" performance: a container measuring 1.4 meters long and 1.1 meters wide, containing a square glass tank 90 centimeters high. The host explained that "actor Li Jun" would enter this container to perform "underwater survival," also known as "human hibernation." Water was poured into the outer large vat while Li Yi entered the inner small vat and sat down. Staff filled the outer large vat with water and covered the top of the small vat with glass —— the water level remained below the top of the small vat. "Once the top of the container is sealed, Li Jun will be completely isolated from the outside air," at which point the male host raised a question: "Isn't this dangerous?" The female host replied: "Of course it's dangerous, but since he has Indian yoga skills and Chinese qigong, there's no problem."
Audience: How long can one breathe in a cubic meter of air?
The host invited audience representatives and notaries from the Shanghai Notary Office to check the seal of the container. As the staff began filling the large vat with water, goldfish were placed inside. The host said: "Because it is sealed, it isolates the inside, and due to the temperature difference, there is some water vapor, but we can still see Mr. Li sitting calmly inside. Surrounded by these goldfish, he looks especially beautiful. I think Mr. Li Jun looks like a mermaid."
The host asked the notaries and the audience to share their inspection results. Both confirmed its authenticity. The notary said: "This container is sealed; otherwise, the water would have gone inside."
The host asked the audience: "So how long do you estimate he can stay inside?" The audience replied: "I don't know much about this. I'm not sure how long a cubic meter of air can sustain a person." The host joked that if it were him, "half a minute would be enough."
"Performance process is genuine and effective"
Thereafter, other performances continued. After more than two hours, the host invited the two notaries to supervise the opening of the container. At the same time, the host interviewed the designer and maker of the container, who said he had been making fish tanks for over ten years, and this was the largest one he had ever made. After opening the container, the host indicated that Li Jun needed to catch his breath and first requested the notaries to confirm the process.
"Based on the application of performer Li Jun, the Shanghai Notary Office assigned notaries Zheng Qi and Xu Zuolan to conduct on-site notarization of Li Jun's performance of human hibernation and underwater survival in the recording of the *The Best in the World* program on Shanghai Television. Now, I represent the Shanghai Notary Office and declare, as a national notary, that the total time Li Jun spent inside the sealed container was two hours and twenty-two minutes. All of the above performance processes are genuine and effective. Shanghai Notary Office, January 19, 1997."
Amid applause from the audience, Li Jun slowly stood up from inside the small vat. At this moment, the male host said: "Mr. Li Jun has slowly begun emitting his energy and has now stood up. He still needs a brief rest." The female host introduced: "Li Jun is the sixteenth generation inheritor of the Taibai Sect of Kunlun and the founder of Chinese Humanistic Qigong." The male host exclaimed: "Truly worthy of being the best in the world!"
According to the reporter's understanding, Li Jun only became the abbot of Shao Long Guan in 1998. Eight years later, in late 2006, he officially became a Taoist priest. Before that, Li Jun had established a stunt troupe, started companies, and worked as a real estate developer. An informed source told the reporter that Li Jun's claims of inheritance before 2006 were fabricated: "He never dared to say who his master was. Where did he get a master?"
Li Chunmei, who performed *Light Kung Fu Stepping on Pigeons* in the same program, was also a member of Li Jun's stunt troupe, his niece, and currently the Taoist priest Changping at Shao Long Guan.
The reporter attempted to contact the two hosts of the program, but was informed that Tong Sanqiang had already retired, and An Jing had married and could no longer be reached.