Is it true that a man lived 256 years? Secrets of longevity from a Chinese man who allegedly lived for more than two centuries


Li Qingyun, who lived 256 years.

Officially, the oldest person who ever lived on earth was the Frenchwoman Jeanne Louise Calment, who died at the age of 122. However, unofficially the longest living person is the Chinese Li Qingyun. His age at the time of death is determined, according to various sources, to be either 190 or 256 years.


Sichuan Province, where Li Qingyun was born.

Li Ching-Yuen claimed that he was born in 1736, but a professor from the University of Mingkuo found data according to which Li Qingyun was born much earlier - in 1677. In addition to these data, there are also records of Li being presented with certificates of congratulations from the government of the Chinese Emperor in honor of Li Qingyun's 150th and 200th birthdays. If any of these documents are true, then the Chinese grandfather was definitely a supercentenarian who lived longer than anyone else. famous history humanity.

Li Qingyun (Li Ching-Yuen). The photo was taken at the residence national army General Yang Sen, Sichuan 1927.

Li was born in Sichuan and spent his entire life there. From an early age he became interested in the problem of longevity, but his life cannot be compared with monastic solitude. Lee lived rich life, he had 23 wives and more than 200 descendants. If Lee really lived for 265 years, then he could see with his own eyes not only his children and grandchildren, but also his great-great-great-great-grandchildren, and even later descendants.

Li Qingyun used the gifts of China's nature to ensure his longevity.

Lee's interests included nature and martial arts. From an early age, Lee collected herbs, sometimes going as far as Thailand to get the plants he needed. He collected many of the herbs for himself, making numerous infusions, and sold others. Even when, due to his health, he could no longer collect the necessary plants on his own, he continued to make infusions from the material that other people brought him.

Of course, if you talk about Li’s lifestyle, you won’t hear anything new there: the Chinese never smoked, didn’t drink alcohol, ate regularly, went to bed early and got up early too. Rumor has it that the secret of Lee's longevity is in his magic elixirs, the recipe of which he did not disclose. Others say that it’s just genetics - in the settlement where Lee was born, there were quite a lot of people who lived to an impressive age. One way or another, people who knew Lee personally remember him as a very generous and kind person with an ideal memory. He could easily remember an event that happened 150 years ago. Locals claimed that all their lives they remembered Lee, and even when they themselves were small, he was already old then. Some claimed that even their grandparents could not remember Lee as a young man.

Keep your heart quiet, sit like a turtle, walk like a dove, and sleep like a dog.

Lee once said that the secret to his longevity was simple: “Keep your heart still, sit like a turtle, walk like a dove, and sleep like a dog.” Lee could definitely sit like a turtle and hold his heart - people around him remember how he could sit for hours in the same position with his eyes closed, palms on his knees and meditate all this time. Lee argued that a calm mind can provide at least 100 years of healthy life.

Many believe that the secret of Li Qingyun's longevity is in special herbal elixirs.

When Li was 71 years old, in 1748, he moved briefly to Kaixian to join Chinese army and teach martial arts there. The most famous photograph of Li Qingyun was taken 179 years later - in 1927, when Li was visiting the governor of Sichuan, National Revolutionary Army General Yang Sen. Then the general arranged a whole banquet in honor of such an unusual guest.

Herbalist Li Qingyun is unofficially considered the person who lived the longest life.

Six years later, Li Qingyun died. Rumor has it that this was a conscious choice of a centenarian. There is a legend that Lee said just before his death: “I have done everything that I had to do in this world. I'm going home"

Secrets of Chinese traditional medicine.

A supercentenarian who lived in China lived for 256 years.

1) Facts from the life of Li Qingyong.

The date of birth varies based on different sources, but there is no significant deviation in the dates, literally by several years. So in Russian sources the date of birth is listed in 1677 (Li himself claimed that he was born in 1736), in the city of Qijiangxiang, Sichuan province. But it becomes unclear where the date 1677 came from? According to Professor Wu Chung-chie of Chengdu University in 1930, he discovered Imperial records marked 1827, in which the government of the “Celestial Empire” congratulated Li Qingyong on his 150th birthday, from which it was concluded that he was born in 1677 year. Then, in 1877, the Chinese government once again sent its solemn congratulations for Li, but this time they congratulated him on his 200th birthday. He lived in his home province for quite a long time, studying the secrets of martial arts and longevity. He was also helped by medicinal herbs, which he drank daily; unfortunately, not a single recipe for his magical elixirs has survived to this day. In addition to martial arts, Li Qingyong did gymnastics and breathing exercises. According to experts, it was breathing exercise that helped him survive to such an old age. Later, at the age of 71, he left for Kaixian Province to become a military adviser.

2) Myths about longevity.

One of Li's students wrote in his diaries that at the age of one hundred and thirty years Li went to famous centenarian a hermit, who at that time had reached the venerable age of five hundred years (the figure, of course, raises great doubts, the Chinese;)) who told him the secrets of body and breathing gymnastics, a diet of nutrition with medicinal herbal decoctions. As is known, East Asian peoples ate more seafood and plant products, which did not allow the deposition of harmful animal fats, which had such a detrimental effect on the vascular and cardiac systems. Perhaps this is the secret of their longevity.

3) History of photography.

In 1927, Li Qingyong was summoned to the governor of Wanxian Province. Seeing such a cheerful and full of life old man, the governor was infinitely surprised. It was at that moment that the only photograph of the Chinese supercentenarian was taken. But as it became known later these were last years life of Li Qingyong. Returning to his province after visiting the official, he died six years later.

4) Few records about life.

After Li Qingyong's death, the general was very interested in the life and longevity of the latter and ordered records to be made shedding light on the life and works of the centenarian. Materials were collected and conversations were held with relatives. Everyone said that he was always old and was even friends with some of the grandfathers. He took the secret of his longevity to the grave and it is unlikely that anyone will be able to find out the truth.

5) The secret of Li Qingyong's longevity.

According to his relatives, he always did exercises and breathing exercises, which apparently became the reason for such a long life, but the most important thing that Li Qingyong taught his relatives was to remain calm, “you need to keep your heart calm and sleep like a last time“he said.

6) Well, a very long life.

Yes, indeed, the age of 256 years is the longest period of life on earth, the only thing that has not been documented by anyone.

The official record holder for longevity is Omar Abas, a resident of Malaysia, who died at the age of 144. And he lived 112 years less than Li Qingyun.

Having outlived 23 of his 24 wives, Lee saw the birth of not only his children, but also grandchildren, great-grandchildren, great-great-grandchildren, and God knows what next generation of descendants.

Unfortunately, due to lack of information in different countries ah the official dates of birth of Li Qingyong vary.


Officially, the oldest person who ever lived on earth was the Frenchwoman Jeanne Louise Calment, who died at the age of 122. However, unofficially the longest living person is the Chinese Li Qingyun. His age at the time of death is determined, according to various sources, to be either 190 or 256 years.


Li Qingyun(Li Ching-Yuen) claimed that he was born in 1736, but a professor from the University of Mingkuo found data according to which Li Qingyun was born much earlier - in 1677. In addition to these data, there are also records of Li being presented with certificates of congratulations from the government of the Chinese Emperor in honor of Li Qingyun's 150th and 200th birthdays. If any of these documents are true, then the Chinese grandfather was definitely a supercentenarian who lived longer than anyone else known to human history.


Li was born in Sichuan and spent his entire life there. From an early age he became interested in the problem of longevity, but his life cannot be compared with monastic solitude. Lee lived a full life, with 23 wives and more than 200 descendants. If Lee really lived for 265 years, then he could see with his own eyes not only his children and grandchildren, but also his great-great-great-great-grandchildren, and even later descendants.


Lee's interests included nature and martial arts. From an early age, Lee collected herbs, sometimes going as far as Thailand to get the plants he needed. He collected many of the herbs for himself, making numerous infusions, and sold others. Even when, due to his health, he could no longer collect the necessary plants on his own, he continued to make infusions from the material that other people brought him.
Of course, if you talk about Li’s lifestyle, you won’t hear anything new there: the Chinese never smoked, didn’t drink alcohol, ate regularly, went to bed early and got up early too. Rumor has it that the secret of Lee's longevity is in his magic elixirs, the recipe of which he did not disclose. Others say that it’s just genetics - in the settlement where Lee was born, there were quite a lot of people who lived to an impressive age. One way or another, people who knew Lee personally remember him as a very generous and kind person with an ideal memory. He could easily remember an event that happened 150 years ago. Local residents claimed that they remembered Lee all their lives, and even when they themselves were small, he was already old. Some claimed that even their grandparents could not remember Lee as a young man.


Lee once said that the secret of his longevity is simple: " Keep your heart quiet, sit like a turtle, walk like a dove and sleep like a dog." Lee definitely could sit like a turtle and hold his heart - people around him remember how he could sit for hours in the same position with his eyes closed, palms on his knees and meditate all this time. Lee argued that a calm mind can provide the minimum 100 years of healthy life.


When Li was 71 years old, in 1748, he moved briefly to Kaixian to join the Chinese army and teach martial arts there. The most famous photograph of Li Qingyun was taken 179 years later - in 1927, when Li was visiting the governor of Sichuan, National Revolutionary Army General Yang Sen. Then the general arranged a whole banquet in honor of such an unusual guest.


Lee Jing-Yun (Chinese: 李清雲, pinyin: Lǐ Qīngyún, pal.: Li Qingyun, Li Ching-Yuen, d. 1933) - a man who lived 256 years.

Shortly before his death, in one interview, Master Li told the secret of his longevity for:


« Keep your heart calm, sit like a turtle, walk like a dove, sleep like a dog...»

This is the secret of Eastern longevity.

And this is what the master wrote about when instructing his students:

“Keep your heart calm” is a special method of practice to achieve a state of mind, immersion in “entering a state of calm” Rujing;

“sit like a turtle”, this is practicing a pose for quiet sitting in a state of meditation (“quiet sitting (jingzuo) of the “Quiet Return to One” method);

“walk cheerfully, like a dove”, this is the Practice of the internal styles of Wushu Neijia - Taijiquan, Baguazhang, and Xinyiquan;

“Sleep like a dog” is the art of mastering altered states of consciousness “inner work” Nei Gong.



More details in our group in contact




An interesting story is told by Peter Kelder in his famous book “The Eye of Rebirth”. He cites a story told by one of Li Qingyun's students named Master Da Liu.
According to legend, Li met a hermit in the mountains who taught him the art of qigong and the martial art of Baguazhang. Lee said that he owes his longevity and health to performing special exercises.
Lee Ching-Yun is a man who lived 256 years, but no one will be able to prove this fact 100%, but nevertheless, the available evidence clearly speaks, if not about 256 years of life, then about 197 more or less accurately.
Li Ching-Yun or Li Jing-Yun (Li Ching-Yuen, Li Ching-Yun) died on May 6, 1933. He himself claimed that he was born in 1736, while indirect evidence suggests 1677.
Both estimated dates give life expectancies of 197 and 256 years, which significantly exceed the officially recorded record of 122 years and 164 days of the French woman Jeanne Calment. Everything is clear with the old-timer’s testimony, but where did the date 1677 come from? The fact is that during Ching-Yun’s lifetime in 1930, Professor Wu Chung-chieh from the University of Chengdu discovered Imperial government records dating back to 1827, which testified to the congratulations of the authorities on Li Ching-Ching. Yunya on his 150th birthday.
The Chinese government did not forget about the centenarian and in 1877 congratulated Li once again, this time on his 200th birthday. In 1928, a New York Times reporter toured the old man's area, interviewed people who knew him, and discovered that many of the old men claimed that their grandfathers knew Ching-Yun when they were boys, while he was already an adult. However, “eyewitness accounts”, as well as reporters who can make an airship out of a booger are a piece of cake, cannot be particularly trusted, but the records of His Imperial Majesty are serious.
Ching-Yun was born in Qi Jiang Xian, Szechuan Province. At the age of 10, Lee started a business that he continued to do for the next centuries - collecting, processing and distributing medicinal herbs. At the same time, he began to study methods to help achieve longevity, and, probably, following these systems, he ate exclusively rice and a decoction of herbs. In 1749, when he was 71, he moved to Kai Xian to join the Chinese army as a martial arts teacher and tactical advisor.

One of his students, master martial art Taijiquan Da Liu told the following story. At the age of 130, Ching-Yun met with a hermit, who at that time was about 500 years old, and he taught Li the practice of Ba Guazhang, qigong gymnastics and gave recommendations on nutrition. Da Liu claims that his teacher said that the reason for his longevity was doing the exercises regularly, every day, sincerely and correctly.
In 1927, Ching-Yun visited the city of Wan Xian at the invitation of General Yang Sen. The general was fascinated by his freshness of thought, spiritual and physical strength and this despite his advanced age. When asked how Lee managed to remain so well preserved, he replied that he needed to “keep your heart calm, sit like a turtle, walk like a dove, and sleep like a dog.” The only photograph of Lee was taken there. A year later he died, telling his loved ones, “I have done everything there is to do in this world and now it’s time to come home.” Many who saw him in recent years claimed that his appearance was no different from those two centuries younger.
After Li's death, General Yang Sen tried to find true evidence of his age, collecting it in a report, “Facts about a 250-Year-Old Man,” which was subsequently published. One of the facts was a description of Lee's appearance: "Lee is seven feet (2.1 meters) tall, he has good vision, lively gait, long nails and a ruddy complexion."
It is believed that Lee Ching-Yun left behind more than 180 descendants of 11 generations and outlived 23 wives, and at the time of his death he was married 24 times; his wife was then 60 years old. Officially married only 14 times.
As you can see, the biography is replete with white spots, but nothing can be done - even in our times there are gaps in history, let alone the centuries before last.


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When the simple Chinese herbalist Li Qingyun died in 1933, the news of his death spread to all leading publications in different countries. How did the modest Chinese deserve the attention of newspapermen around the world? The fact that Lee, in his own words, lived 197 years, and if you believe official records - all 256.

Li Qingyun aged approximately 250 years



Here is a copy of the obituary published in the New York Times on May 6, 1933: “Li Qingyun died at the age of 197. “Keep your heart calm, sit like a turtle, walk like a dove, sleep like a dog” - this is his secret to longevity. According to official data, his age at the time of death was 256 years old. He buried 23 wives, with whom he fathered 180 children, and spent the first hundred years of his life selling herbs."

Where did the difference of 59 years between the official date of birth and the one voiced by Lee himself come from? Oddly enough, from the head: researchers believe that the old man simply forgot the real date of his birth. Unfortunately, little is known about the herbalist’s biography. Official papers indicate that he was born in 1677 in Sichuan Province.

By the age of ten, he had learned to read and write and had already visited Gansu, Shanxi, Tibet, Annam, Siam and Manchuria, where he collected herbs. This is what he did for the next hundred years, after which he switched to selling herbs collected by others.

In 1748, at the age of 71, Li moved from Chui Jiang Xi to Kai Hsien, where he joined the Chinese army as a martial arts teacher and tactical advisor. In 1927, that is, 179 (!) years later, Li arrived on a visit to 43-year-old General Yan Sen in Sichuan Province. The general was charmed by Lee's youthful appearance and his strength and valor. While visiting the military leader, the most famous, if not the only, photograph of Li Qingyuan was taken.

The general later described the appearance of his 250-year-old guest as follows: “He has good eyesight and a brisk step, his height is seven feet, he has very long nails and a ruddy face.” The circumstances of the herbalist's death are still unknown. Some say that he died of natural causes, others claim that before his death he told his friends: “I have done everything I need to do in this world. Now I am going home,” and after that he passed on to another world.



After the death of the herbalist, the general began to find out the real age of his guest. Yan Sen wrote a report on this matter, which was later published. Residents of Sichuan Province interviewed in 1933 recalled that they saw Li when they were children, and that throughout the time they knew him, he did not change. Others said that the herbalist had been friends with their grandfathers.

However, the true story life path Li Qingyuan may remain a mystery forever. Some evidence of Lee's contemporaries still remains. In 1930, Professor Wu Cheng-Tse of Chengdu University discovered papers from the Chinese imperial government that contained congratulations to Li on his 150th birthday, dated 1927, and on his 200th birthday.

Peter Kelder, author of The Ancient Secrets of Youth, cites a story told by one of Lee's students, taijiquan master Da Liu. According to Liu, at the age of 130, his teacher met an old hermit in the mountains, who taught him the martial art of Baguazhang and the health-improving system of qigong. Li himself told Da Liu that he owes his longevity to performing the exercises - "regularly, correctly and with all dedication" - for 120 years.

And doctor Yan Zhin-Ming explains Li’s longevity by the fact that he spent most of his life in the mountains. If information about Lee's date of birth is correct, then he can rightfully be considered the longest-living person on Earth, although the West questions this.

Today, the Frenchwoman Jeanne Louise Calment, who died in 1997 at the age of 122, is officially considered the oldest inhabitant of the planet. However, the masters of ancient Chinese practices unanimously declare: regardless of whether Li Qingyuan was real person or a mythical figure, his life serves as a source of inspiration for them.

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