Chinese doctor plans 53-day fast

[DC09]

A CHINESE doctor is attempting to break a world record by fasting for at least 53 days, barely months after another Chinese doctor spent 49 days without food and water, state media said Monday.

Wu Xinggang, a 33 year-old Chinese herbalist, began his challenge in a double-thick, 18-square-meter glass box in a mountain in east China's Shandong province on April 29 and is being closely monitored by the local notary office and media, the Xinhua news agency said.

Wu's attempt follows that of Chen Jianmin, who finished a contested 49-day fast on May 7 to break the record of 44 days set by American magician David Blaine last year.

Wu, who said his Manchurian ancestors were doctors who had served the imperial family, said he felt hungry in the first three days of fasting but adjusted to it quickly.

In his glass box, he had a computer, a telephone and daily necessities like bed clothes. He slept eight hours a day and was so far in generally good health, Xinhua said.

In March, Chen broke the record set by Blaine, who achieved the feat suspended above London's River Thames in a glass box.

Chen, at 50, was older than Wu and was a second-generation doctor of traditional Chinese medicine. He began his fast on March 20, consuming only water and no food and emerged 49 days later at least 15kg lighter.

But some experts cast doubt on Chen's record, saying he could have hidden tiny food tablets under his fingernails, unknown to observers.

Fasting specialists said the fact that Chen engaged in traditional Chinese slow-motion exercises, Tai Chi, would have made his calorie needs too high to be sustained without food intake.

Blaine, who suffered severe palpitations and breathing difficulties in the final days of his quest, was told when he emerged that he would not be restored to full health for around six months.

His fast was condemned by critics as pointless and dangerous.

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