China's jailed ex-security czar leaked state secrets to his mystical qigong master, court says

Zhou Yongkang is facing life in prison on corruption charges tied to his qigong master
(Image credit: Feng Li/Getty Images)

A court in China convicted former domestic security chief Zhou Yongkang of massive corruption, but also for passing on classified state secrets to his qigong master, Cao Yongzheng, according to court documents released last week. Cao rose to fame in the late 1980s, when he "gained a reputation as a semi-immortal for his supernatural powers," The Associated Press reports, including soothsaying and curing infertility.

The reliance of Zhou, until recently a member of the powerful Standing Committee of the Communist Party's Politburo, on spiritual figures like Cao isn't that uncommon, AP says, despite the party's tradition of staunch atheism. Along with qigong — a practice of meditation, breathing, and movement, related to tai chi — officials turn to Buddhist and Taoist monks, feng-shui masters, and other spiritual directors. Cao, who became one of China's wealthiest men under Zhou's protection, has fled the country.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.