The 2005 “World UFO Conference” of September 8-10 held in Dalian, a thriving and modern port city in north east China, provided me with a good opportunity to witness various manifestations of Chinese ufology, and to build on my research and contacts established in my first visit back in 2002 and by earlier research. Although I have had a long term interest in Chinese history and culture, getting a firm and accurate fix on Chinese ufology proved to be a bit more difficult. Of course the works of Paul Dong (“The Four Major Mysteries of Mainland China” (1984) and “UFOs over Modern China” (1983, with Wendelle Stevens)) and Shi Bo (“China and Extraterrestrials” (1983), “The Middle Kingdom disturbed by UFOs” (1995) and “UFOs – New Chinese Files”(1999)) and the international diplomacy of Sun Shili (one of the “fathers” of Chinese ufology) have helped illuminate the burgeoning efforts of Chinese UFO researchers. Language has been something of a barrier, sometimes in unlikely ways. For example all of Shi Bo’s books are in French with no English translation works. While the 2005 “World UFO Conference” in Dalian China was interesting and entertaining for a whole lot of reasons, mixed in with themes of “lost in translation”, I was drawn to the event to help further develop my understanding of UFO research activity in China. That objective was largely achieved outside of the formal conference activities when I was able to do a number of interviews with key researchers and identities, with the help of very helpful volunteer university student interpreters, particularly Sadie and Marina. They helped me in my interviews with Professor Sun Shili (one of the most recognised spokesmen for Chinese UFO research), Zhang Jingping (an active and energetic Beijing based UFO researcher), Professor Ling Huan Ma (a very helpful Beijing based “UFO learner”), and Professor Chen Gongfu (principal researcher of the Meng Zhao Guo case, regarded as China’s most famous alien abduction case).

My research and enquiries in China during September 2005 allowed me to cover many aspects of the Chinese UFO experience, including the development of modern ufology in China, the Meng Zhao Guo case, the strange abduction “healing” experience of Cao Gong - Zhang Jingping and his associate Harvey Zhao enable me to interview Mr. Cao in Beijing, and other experiences including an abduction involving two young Chinese “super psychics” and an engineer.

The best-known alien abduction story in China is the case of Meng Zhao Guo, a young tree farmer, from Wuchang, near Harbin in Heilongjiang province. In September 2003 Time magazine reflected on China’s imminent first manned launch into space. “Forget China’s astronauts. The country’s most famous intergalactic traveler lives in the last house on his lane at the edge of a Siberian forest,” Time reporter Matthew Forney enthused, tongue in cheek I suspect. I addressed the case in a limited way in my new book “Hair of the Alien”. In June 1994 Zhao Guo and two other farm workers, working at Red Flag logging camp saw something unusual on nearby Mount Pheonix. The complex and bizarre encounter that followed involved Meng being hit by a beam of light, as well as allegedly experiencing an abduction and a sexual encounter with a female alien.During September 2003 Zhang Jingping, a Beijing-based UFO researcher, had psychologists and police technicians subject Zhao Guo to hypnosis and a lie detector test in Beijing. Zhang indicated the test results proved the abductee was telling the truth. He also claimed that doctors had indicated that Zhao Guo’s scars “could not possibly have been caused by common injuries or surgery.” Meng Zhao Guo, a humble farmer with only 5 year’s schooling, also indicated that he had never heard of UFOs or ufologists until after his experienced had been reported. After more than 100 interviews he now feels the affair has disrupted his life. Somewhat uneasily, he laments, “But ufologists still take great interest in [my] UFO encounter nine years on. They hope there will be a conclusion to the UFO phenomenon as soon as possible; only then will I feel released.”Like so many of the worldwide cases of alien abduction, Meng Zhao Guo’s story is essentially just that – a story, and a bizarre one at that. To really establish the nature of the reality behind it, further research is required and that research, whenever possible, needs to be anchored in the forensic/scientific approach I have advocated particularly with my book “Hair of the Alien”. I used my visit to China to convey that approach to key researchers such as Sun Shili, Zhang Jingping and Chen Gongfu. Prior to my trip to China, there was considerable material devoted to the Meng Zhao Guo case amongst the material sent to me by the active Beijing based UFO researcher Zhang Jingping. I undertook a translation project here in Australia with Chinese interpreters which focused on that case. Over 12 hours of videoed translation material has been compiled. My thanks in particular go to Michelle and Christine for their excellent assistance in that project. This has given me a much greater understanding of this controversial Harbin area abduction milieu, which to date has been described outside China in a very limited way. In China I was able to have extensive discussions with Professor Chen Gongfu, the principal researcher of the Meng Zhao Guo case. He has asked me to assist in getting his research translated and available to western audiences. We are well underway to achieving that goal.

I spent considerable time with researcher Zhang Jingping. Prior to my recent visit to China he had sent me an article which gives some personal background on himself - a energetic member of the Beijing UFO Research Association. “Advertising is my occupation, but UFO research is my real career .... You wouldn’t guess that Zhang Jingping owned a thriving private advertising company. He’s got employees split up into two teams - TV and newspaper advertising. Not that they see that much of their boss. That’s because in every spare minute, he returns to researching his pet subject: UFOs.

“I devote most of my energy and time to my research. My manager takes care of daily affairs of the company,” Zhang explains.

“Advertising is my occupation, but the research is my real career.”While in China I was able to focus on a particularly interesting abduction case Zhang had investigated with a “forensic” twist.“In December 1999 .... Cao Gong, a middle-aged man from Beijing, claimed to have been abducted by aliens and flown to Qinhuangdao in their UFO. “They looked like humans but had large hands and were very pale, “ Cao said. He said he had met a Chinese girl in the flying saucer.Zhang’s investigation began in April 2000.The first step was hypnosis. Zhang invited a famous psychologist from Suzhou and asked him to conduct hypnosis on Cao in helping him to remember the whole incident. Then he brought Cao to the Beijing Bureau of Public Security and gave him a lie detection test. “He passed the test,” says Zhang. According to Cao, who is the principal of a private school in Fangshan District, he met a Chinese girl in the flying saucer, who looked around 13 years old. “The aliens cured her disease in the flying saucer,” he claimed. In order to find the girl, Zhang brought Cao to the Tangshan Bureau of Public security in July 2000. “The policemen made up a computer image photo-fit of the girl’s face according to Cao’s description,” says Zhang. In November 2002, Zhang led a group of students from Beihang University and set out on a trip to Qinhuangdao, in search of the mysterious girl.

“There was only a narrow glimmer of hope of finding the girl with only a computer image of her,” says Zhang. They arrived in Qinglong County to the north of Qinhuangdao, and began their blind search among the county’s 400,000 population. “Amazingly, we found a clue on the second day of our search. An old man in the county recognized the girl in our picture,” says Zhang. They found the girl soon after that. She was 15 years old. Zhang brought her back to Beijing to meet Cao Gong. She was identified by Cao as the girl he had seen in the UFO. Zhang has now spent three years investigating this case.”This case is fascinating and I was fortunate that while in China I was able to discuss the case in detail with Zhang Jingping and other researchers, and also talk to Cao Gong himself. Fortunately in Beijing I secured the services of Irene, an excellent translator, guide and interpreter. I have had her working on a detailed translation of the case which I am currently working through. Apart from the “healing” aspects it also includes other aspects of particular interest such as the apparent use of “solid light”. In my new book “Hair of the alien” I describe this very intriguing aspect of the UFO phenomenon and highlight why it is of particular importance.A UFO sighting in central China? - Flying out of Xi’an during the early evening of September 13th on an Air China flight bound for Beijing afforded me a puzzling aerial sighting which I photographed. I’m still not sure if what I saw was an unusual cloud or a more interesting anomaly. I err to the former possibility but what seemed a rather sharp angular elongated rectangular “object” had me intrigued and glued to the plane porthole for about 10 minutes.

My visit to China and all the new Chinese friends I made certainly enriched my understanding of the Chinese UFO research scene and my apreciation of Chinese culture and history. My enjoyment of the culture and history was also wonderfully assisted by my guides and interpreters in Beijing and Xi’an - Irene and Cici.In front of my hotel at Dalian the modern and the ancient are juxtaposed - the taikonaunt (the Chinese astronaut) and the terracotta warriors. I got to see the real thing, in terms of the ancient terracotta warriors, when Cici my guide in Xi’an took me to see the so called “Eight Wonder of the World” - the subterranean Army of Emperor Qin Shi Huang - indeed an extraordinary site. The Shaanxi History Museum in Xi’an is an extraordinary showcase of the rich history of the area and reveals some rather odd finds. This part of my trip also served to confirm my concerns about the dubious claims of Hartwig Hausdorf, particularly with reference to his ET “white pyramid” near Xi’an (see his book “The Chinese Roswell). His version of the Chinese UFO experience was far less than compelling.

At Dalian other interest artefacts caught my eye - one of the conference sponsor’s UFO cars at the official opening to the conference held at a Dalian shopping complex conference venue and the UFO tower. The latter, an impressive site that overlooks the city region, provided striking views of the area.

I had intended to access my web log HYPERLINK “http://theozfiles.blogsot.com” http://theozfiles.blogsot.com while in China to post a series of commentaries, but found that I could not access my blog site or a number of other blog sites from 3 different locations - Beijing, Dalian and Xi’an - it seemed like some sites, particularly blogs that originate from outside China, were not accessible inside China.

The Dalian organising committe conference communication indicated:
China, home of the world’s biggest UFO organisation, has sensed the western urge for the enormous Chinese UFO information. Voice for closer ties with Chinese experts has escalated to new height…

An ice-breaking meet of ufologists between the east and the west, the Dalian World UFO conference includes renowned UFO authorities sharing their most updated UFO topics and cases... At least 30 Chinese national & regional UFO organisations will present their specialised subjects, including close encounter cases happened in China, the latest and the classic, mostly first time ever announced internationally.

Dalian - named by the U.N. the “beautiful garden seaside city”, home of the famous Ice Crafting Contest, will be hosting International Clothing Festival in September... An unforgettable life long memory is waiting! Don’t miss this rare occasion for information exchange and networking a global UFO community. Dalian welcomes you.

Dalian certainly did welcome me. It also provided me an opportunity to catch up with Stanton Friedman, Gabor Tarcali from Hungary and Jutta Fli from Israel the only other western researchers present for the conference. The conference provided an excellent opportunity to sample the research and perspectives of ufology from the Asian region, particularly China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan.

While the tolerance and, to a certain extent, support from official Chinese quarters has helped developed a ufological movement there with strong representations in the sciences, academia, engineering and other technical areas, those who stray into more colourful dimensions, particularly those of a mystical or religious bent, are less tolerated. The Falun Gong movement which has been banned in China, has through its founder on occasions embraced UFOs, aliens and extraterrestrials. This juxtaposition and the dissident activities of the group in China have led UFO researchers there to carefully distance themselves from such uncertain and dubious manifestations. Former Australian Defence Intelligence Organisation (DIO) head of China analysis, Dr. Paul Monk wrote in his book “Thunder from the Silent Zone – Rethinking China” (2005), “the strange beliefs and millenarian appeal of the (Falun Gong) sect evoked memories of the Taiping sect of the mid-nineteenth century, whose rebellion against the corrupt Qing Dynasty led to colossally bloody internal war in China estimated to have cost tens of millions of lives.” Jonathan Spence’s fascinating study “God’s Chinese son – the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of Hong Xiuquan” reveals the bizarre and tragic dimensions of that period. Professor Maria Hsia Chang’s study “Falun Gong – The End of Days” reveals the less than compelling “alien” beliefs of Li Hongzhi, the founder of Falun Gong. The Chinese government accuses Falun Gong as being an evil cult and actively suppresses its activities. The UFO beliefs of its founder are only a minor aspect of the organisation’s activities, but its illegal status in China means that UFO researchers and enthusiasts alike must avoid any connection with it. Depending on ones perspective, outside of China Falun Gong is seen as variously another religious group, spiritual practice, or a curious cult.

Religious agendas intermixed with alien themes is certainly a popular theme attracting even academic attention here in the west- check out “The Gods have landed - New Religions from Other Worlds” edited by James Lewis (1995) and “UFO Religions” edited by Christopher Partridge (2003). Susan Palmer offers an interesting study with “Aliens Adored - Rael’s UFO Religion” (Rutgers University Press, 2004). Further anchor points and alternative perspectives may be found in such studies as “The Lure of the Edge - Scientific Passions, Religious Beliefs, and the Pursuit of UFOs” by Brenda Denzler (University of California Press, 2001), and “Heavenly Lights - the Apparitions of Fatima and the UFO Phenomenon” by Portuguese historians Joaquim Fernandes and Fina D’Armada (2005) (a theme visited by Jacques Vallee in his book “The Invisible College” (1975) and in potent fictional form in John Fowles’ striking novel “A Maggot” (1985). Religious cults, even with tenuous UFO connections, seldom represent a “clear and present danger” on a large scale, as the Chinese authorities caste Falun Gong, but experiences with those with millenarian tendencies, such as Heaven’s Gate, require us to be cautious about them.Such considerations were in the back of my mind when I visited China, but I saw no such manifestations. Fortunately all my experiences there involved encounters with researchers who were seriously trying to address the UFO subject in diverse and sometimes novel ways. Like the west there were also many enthusiasts that also embrace the subject.