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With dreams of seeing his name in the Guinness Book of World Records, a middle-aged businessman from Beijing bungee jumped from a helicopter in Handan, Hebei Province, last August after paying a registration fee to a Shanghai-based company he thought was affiliated with the Guinness publishers.
The jump was a success, but his dream remains unrealized, so Zhang Di is taking the local firm, Shanghai Great World Guinness Office, to court.
Zhang said he has discovered the company isn't affiliated with the Guinness Book and he wants it to pay him compensation of 57,800 yuan (US$7,000) for expenses and mental anguish.
Zhang paid 1,800 yuan (US$217) to register his leap from a helicopter 80 meters above the ground, claiming it was the first bungee jump from a moving aircraft in history.
However, Zhang discovered his death-defying act might not be recognized as a world record when a Beijing newspaper reported last September that "Shanghai Guinness is not an authorized agent of the Guinness Book of World Records and has been misleading the public."
Enraged by the report, Zhang filed a lawsuit against Shanghai Guinness and Shanghai Wenyi Publishing House, which has been publishing the book of records collected by the Shanghai Guinness office.
The Huangpu District People's Court held the first hearing into the case Monday, but didn't say when a verdict will be announced.
Both defendants claim their operations are in line with national regulations and didn't engage in anything outside their business description.
"Our business license allows us to register records of unique achievements in China," said Shao Ming, the attorney for Shanghai Guinness.
"I knew of Shanghai Guinness through the media and contacted the office last May. Its officials confirmed to me that the office is the authorized agent of the Guinness Book," said Zhang.
After paying the registration fee, he hired a coach and underwent strict training. He also bought equipment and rented a helicopter.
"I risked my life to fulfill my dream, but found that the company had no ability to register a record with the Guinness Book," said Zhang.
According to Zhang's investigation, the Liaoning Education Publishing House is the exclusive agent in China for the Guinness Book.
A quick search of the Web also indicates that Zhang didn't set a record, as a German man jumped 1,100 meters from a helicopter in 1997, according to Guinness Book's Website.
(eastday.com April 8, 2003)
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