Li Ching-Yuen
Chinese herbalist (died 1933)
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Key Takeaways
- Li Ching-Yuen or Li Ching-Yun (simplified Chinese: 李清云 ; traditional Chinese: 李清雲 ; pinyin: Lǐ Qīngyún , died 6 May 1933) was a Chinese herbalist, martial artist and tactical advisor, known for his supposed extreme longevity.
- Gerontologists consider his claims to be a myth.
- The Zhili warlord Wu Peifu (吳佩孚) took him into his home in an attempt to discover the secret of living 250 years.
- Ching-Yuen supposedly sired over 200 descendants during his life span, surviving 24 wives.
- After his death, Yang Sen wrote a report about him, A Factual Account of the 250 Year-Old Good-Luck Man (一个250岁长寿老人的真实记载), in which he described Ching-Yuen's appearance: "He has good eyesight and a brisk stride; Li stands seven feet tall, has very long fingernails, and a ruddy complexion.
Li Ching-Yuen or Li Ching-Yun (simplified Chinese: 李清云; traditional Chinese: 李清雲; pinyin: Lǐ Qīngyún, died 6 May 1933) was a Chinese herbalist, martial artist and tactical advisor, known for his supposed extreme longevity.
Li's year of birth was alleged to be 1677, though his true age has never been determined. Gerontologists consider his claims to be a myth.
Biography
Ching-Yuen worked as a herbalist, selling lingzhi, goji berry, wild ginseng, he shou wu and gotu kola along with other Chinese herbs, and lived off a diet of these herbs and rice wine.
It was generally accepted in Sichuan that Ching-Yuen was fully literate as a child, and that by his tenth birthday had travelled to Gansu, Shanxi, Tibet, Vietnam, Thailand and Manchuria with the purpose of gathering herbs, continuing with this occupation for a century, before beginning to purvey herbs gathered by others.
The Zhili warlord Wu Peifu (吳佩孚) took him into his home in an attempt to discover the secret of living 250 years.
He died from natural causes on 6 May 1933 in Kai Xian, Sichuan, Republic of China. Ching-Yuen supposedly sired over 200 descendants during his life span, surviving 24 wives. Other sources credit him with 180 descendants, over 11 generations, living at the time of his death and 14 marriages.
After his death, Yang Sen wrote a report about him, A Factual Account of the 250 Year-Old Good-Luck Man (一个250岁长寿老人的真实记载), in which he described Ching-Yuen's appearance: "He has good eyesight and a brisk stride; Li stands seven feet tall, has very long fingernails, and a ruddy complexion."
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