256-Year-Old Chinese Man Li Ching-Yuen’s Legend Still Shocks People!

Whether it's medicine, surgery, or any other way, people have been searching for ways to extend their lifespan since time immemorial. Want to know the secret to living too long? Then meet Li Ching Yuen, the oldest person ever to live.

According to a 1930 article, he reportedly lived for 256 years. He claimed to be worn in 1736, while disputed records suggest 1677. Both these claimed lifespans of 197 and 256 years and exceeded the longest lifespan of 122 years. His actual date of birth, however, was never determined. 

As per the article, professor Wu-Chung Chieh discovered documentation and congratulated Li on his 150th birthday in 1827. Even more, documents had been congratulating him on his 200th birthday in 1877. Also, people claimed Li ching yuen was already a grown man when they were just children. 

When Li was 10 years old, he started making his career as an herbalist, and for almost 40 years, he had a diet of mostly herbs, goji berries, kola, and rice wine. He continued this diet for the next 100 years of his life. 

It might surprise you, but Li reportedly married 23 times and had 200 children. He had to say this when asked about the secret of his long life. In his report, he said you must do the following to live a healthier life:

1: Keep a quiet heart.

2: Sit like a Tortoise.

3: Walk sprightly like a pigeon and

4: Sleep a Dog. 

Isn't It Incredible?

The Early Years Of Li Ching-Yuen

The bizarre tale of Li Ching-Yuen garnered international news in the 1920s. According to Snopes, Li was born in the Sichuan province of China in either 1677 or 1736.

He asserted that throughout his first century, he traveled the country as a traveling herbalist, gathering medicinal plants from its forests and mountains.

How did Li Ching-Yuen manage to live for 256 years?

The legend Li Ching-Yuen says that the man was a physician and herbalist. So, he knows many secrets for good health and Longevity. Moreover, he loved to get intimated, and there is a fact that he had 23 wives and considered that getting intimated keeps your health good and you live more. 

Was Li Ching-Yuen's Age Ever Verified?

Li asserted that he was 256 years old when he passed away, and some even supported him in this claim. However, how much concrete evidence supports Li's claims needs to be clarified. Li's neighbors in the early 20th century claimed that their grandfathers remembered him from when they were children and that he had already reached old age.

Furthermore, it is said that in or around 1928, Professor Wu Chung-chien of Minkuo University discovered authentic government papers indicating Li was born in 1677. According to archives, Li, who owns Burt's bees, received formal birthday greetings from the Imperial Chinese government on his 150th and 200th birthdays. 

Li Ching Yuen's secrets of Longevity

The fourth of August 1997 was a difficult day for France. Jeanne Calment, France's oldest resident, died on that tragic day. Jeanne Calment wasn't your typical woman, though.

She was the oldest surviving person who could be authenticated using documentary evidence! When Jeanne Calment eventually departed for her heavenly dwelling, she had been alive for 122 years and 164 days. But did you know that there was another lady who supposedly lived longer than Jeanne Calment did?

Here is Chinese master Li Ching Yeun for you. Hold your breath; according to legend, Master Yeun or Yun lived for 256 years! Master Yeun was a famous Chinese herbalist, martial artist, and tactical counselor born in the Sichuan province of South-West China in 1677. His legacy of Longevity may be impossible for any human to surpass, at least shortly.

Death

By the start of the 20th century, Master Yeun's Longevity had become well-known throughout China. General Yang Sen welcomed Master Yeun to Wanxian in 1927. The first known pictures of Master Yeun were captured on this trip.

General Sen, Commander Chiang Kai-senior shek's and a recipient of this information, invited the Master to Beijing (then Nanking). Unfortunately, word reached General Sen's convoy that Master Yeun had passed away when they arrived in Chenjiachang, where the Master resided. Master Yeun was alive in 1927, giving him a 256-year lifespan.

Li Ching yeun's secret of Longevity

Li Chin Yeun's secret to Longevity was summarised in an article published in Time magazine in 1933: "Keep a tranquil heart, sit like a tortoise, stroll sprightly like a dove, and sleep like a dog."

It is reported that Master Yeun could maintain a specific posture for hours while not moving a single body part and breathing in a particular pattern. Along with strict adherence to his night and wake-up routines, Li Chin Yeun's secret to Longevity includes complete abstinence from alcohol and tobacco.