The Associated Press has a lengthy report about a group of Chinese scientists and tourists seeking out Kansai Huguai, the country's equivalent of the Loch Ness Monster. Lake Kansai is in the remote northwest where China, Mongolia, Russia, and Kazakhstan meet. From the AP:
The outing shows how far 40 years of economic reform have taken China and how much more time and money people have to explore interests that were squelched as superstition, an offense to communist dogma.
In today's society, myth-making and chasing are a big business, and the supernatural and the paranormal are no longer taboo.
Reports of a Chinese "Bigfoot" have been picked up by the official Xinhua News Agency, while tourists have searched for the "Xiao Yeren," small wild men. UFO sightings are treated with great seriousness. A conference on the topic was held in September, and UFO buffs claim support from eminent scientists and liaisons with the country's secretive military.
Link (Thanks, Loren Coleman!)
