Li Yi, head of the Shaolong Taoist Temple in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, has resigned as vice chairman of the Chinese Taoist Association, the country's top Taoist organization, after the State Administration for Religious Affairs launched an investigation into accusations against his alleged supernatural capabilities.

He claimed he was able to perform miracles including holding his breath underwater for two hours non-stop. He also claimed to be a "health master" and offered expensive health and meditation programs at his temple. But initial investigations by local authorities show Li fabricated content. When he performed in a televised underwater survival show in 1997, he was actually in a transparent sealed container filled with air in a glass tank full of water.

Li, 41, said he converted to Taoism at the age of three. He became a Taoist priest in 2000.