Last August, Chinese millionaire and self-styled philanthropist Chen Guangbiao posted a video of himself taking a charitable stunt to extreme levels, drawing skepticism about the stunt’s authenticity.
Now, he admits it was faked.
The Ice Bucket Challenge of summer 2014, intended to raise money for people afflicted with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), attracted widespread popularity worldwide. Nominated by friends, participants typically recorded themselves pouring cold water or ice over their heads and posting the results online.
Extraordinary Claims...
Chen Guangbiao, a recycling entrepreneur, got in on the freezing action. In late August, he claimed to have sat immersed in a bin of freezing water and ice for half an hour, as seen in his video, which can be viewed on Youtube. Chen vowed to donate a million yuan ($161,000) to ALS patients if anyone could surpass his achievement.
The video, in which a red-faced Chen can be seen in a plastic blue garbage bin gripping the edges while staff pour water and ice over his portly body, immediately raised doubt from observers. While real ice is lighter than water, many noted that much of the ice poured into Chen’s bin sank. A medical expert, Wen Deyuan, questioned Chen’s stunt as sitting in freezing water for half an hour is physically dangerous.
