Li Ching-Yuen: The Man Who Lived 256 Years

LI CHING-YUEN – THE WORLD RECORD HOLDER FOR LONGEVITY

The death of the humble Chinese man Li Ching-Yuen in 1933 drew the attention of media outlets around the world. Even the New York Times published an obituary on May 6, 1933. What is the secret of the popularity of this modest herbalist? In fact, there is nothing surprising about it, as Li Ching-Yuen lived for 256 years.

He buried 23 wives, leaving a 24th widow. He had 180 children. However, Li Ching-Yuen himself claimed that he was only 179 years old. But researchers agree that over the long years, his memory had somewhat faded. A professor from Minkuo University found data indicating that Li Ching-Yuen was born much earlier - in 1677. In 1930, another researcher of Li Ching-Yuen's life, Professor Wu Cheng-Jie, who worked at Chengdu University, discovered congratulations to the herbalist on his 150th and 200th anniversaries among the papers of the Chinese imperial government. If even one of these documents is true, then the Chinese grandfather was definitely a super-centenarian who lived longer than anyone else known in human history.

This means that Li Ching-Yuen was born five years after Russian Emperor Peter I. By the way, he outlived all Russian tsars starting from this autocrat and even witnessed 16 years of Soviet power.

At the age of ten, he could read and write, which was a rarity at that time, and he managed to travel. He visited the provinces of Gansu and Shanxi, Tibet, Annam (modern Vietnam), Siam (modern Thailand), and Manchuria. Everywhere, Li Ching-Yuen learned to recognize medicinal herbs. He dedicated most of his life to this pursuit. For the first hundred years, he collected them himself, and later switched to trading herbs collected by others.

It is reliably known that in 1748, Li Ching-Yuen moved from Chui Jiang to Kai Xian. There, he joined the army as a martial arts instructor. Additionally, he provided tactical advice to military leaders. He was 71 years old at that time. The next reliable date in his life is his visit to General Yan Sen. This event took place in 1927. General Yan Sen noted in his records that he was struck by the youthful appearance of the old man, his strength, and valor. "He has good eyesight and a lively step, his height is seven feet, he has very long nails and a rosy face," the general described his guest. It was during his visit to Yan Sen that the only known photograph of Li Ching-Yuen was taken.

Six years later, Li Ching-Yuen passed away, leaving his 24th wife and numerous descendants in mourning. The death of such a person naturally sparked numerous rumors. Some even suggested that he was poisoned. However, some researchers believe that he died of natural causes. Nevertheless, those close to him claimed that Li Ching-Yuen said, "I have done everything I needed to do in this world. Now I am going home" - and after that, he breathed his last.

General Yan Sen was the main biographer of Li Ching-Yuen. He took it upon himself to determine the real age of his famous guest. According to a report published by the general, residents of Sichuan interviewed in 1933 recalled seeing Li Ching-Yuen when they were very small children. Many recounted that even their grandfathers were friends with him, and he was already old at that time. As for the discrepancy in the birth date, one of Li's descendants explained, "When the master married for the last time, he intentionally 'youthened' himself by 59 years so that the bride would not think he was too old."

Li Ching-Yuen lived 88 years longer than Shirali Muslimov, officially considered the oldest man in the USSR and unofficially in the world, who was 168 years old. Compared to the official world record holder Omar Abas, who lived 144 years, Li lived 112 years longer.

What is the secret of this man's longevity? Li Ching-Yuen himself said about it: "Keep your heart quiet, sit like a turtle, walk briskly like a pigeon, and sleep like a dog." These words should be interpreted as follows – to prolong life, one must maintain inner peace and evenly distribute physical activity and rest, not refusing either.

Of course, if you talk about Li's lifestyle, you won't hear anything new: the Chinese man never smoked, did not drink alcohol, ate regularly, went to bed early, and got up early as well. It is rumored that the secret to Li's longevity lies in his magical elixirs, the recipe for which he never revealed. Others say it’s simply genetics – in the settlement where Li was born, there were quite a few people who lived to a considerable age. In any case, people who knew Li personally remember him as a very generous and kind man with an impeccable memory. He could easily recall an event that happened 150 years ago. Locals claimed that they remembered Li throughout their lives, and even when they were little, he was already old. Some asserted that even their grandfathers and grandmothers could not remember Li as young.

Li Ching-Yuen's student, Tai Chi master Da Liu, provides another saying of the great elder: "I owe my longevity to performing exercises – regularly, correctly, and with full dedication, for 120 years." So, as you can see, it’s quite simple.