Li Ching-Yuen, The Chinese Man Who Claimed To Be 256 Years Old
Wikimedia CommonsThe only known photo of Li Ching-Yuen, who said he was 256 years old.
Who is the oldest person to ever live? If certain sources are to be believed, this next one blows the others that we’ve discussed out of the water. Li Ching-Yuen of China, who died in 1933, claimed to be 256 years old.
For context, that’s older than the United States in 2023.
So was Li really 256 years old when he died? Official documents allegedly showed that Li was born in 1677 (though Li initially put his birth year at 1736). The New York Times even reported after Li’s death that the Chinese government had congratulated him on his 150th and 200th birthdays and that the grandfathers of old men in his neighborhood had known Li when they were young boys and he was already an adult.
He allegedly spent most of his adult life as a traveling herbalist and, when old age set in, he sold herbs that others collected. The New York Times reports that Li married 24 times and had at least 180 descendants.
The New York Times Li Ching-Yuen’s obituary in The New York Times.
Assuming the story of Li’s life is somehow true — and Snopes dubbed it “highly improbable” — what was his secret to a long life?
“He attributed his longevity to peace of mind,” The New York Times wrote. “[I]t was his belief every one could live at least a century by attaining inward calm.” Li himself gave the advice to “keep a quiet heart, sit like a tortoise, walk sprightly like a pigeon, and sleep like a dog.”
However, few have taken Li’s claims about his age seriously. And experts have noted that a lifespan of 256 years simply belies belief.
As such, it can be difficult to determine for sure who was the oldest person to ever live. Officially, that title belongs to Jeanne Calment. But Juan Vicente Pérez Mora and María Branyas Morera are still alive as of publication and, in a matter of years, could possibly take her title. Then again, unverified claims like Li’s and Gotho’s could potentially mean that Pérez Mora and Branyas Morera still have decades to go before they break that record.
After reading about some of the longest-living people in history — both verified and unverified — see how an 83-year-old former eye doctor became the oldest person to hike the Appalachian Trail. Or, see how Yuichiro Miura became the oldest man to climb Mount Everest — twice.
