Li Qingyun. Commandments of the planet's longest-liver Li Jing-yong Who lived 256

The Life and Death of Lee

Li Qingyun was born in 1677 in Qijiangxiang, Sichuan. He spent most of his life in the mountains of Sichuan, collecting medicinal herbs and learning the secrets of longevity. In 1748, when Li Qingyun was 71 years old, he moved to Kaixian to join the Chinese army as a martial arts teacher and military adviser.

In 1927, Li Qingyun was invited to Wanxian by the governor of Sichuan, General Yang Sen. The general was delighted with Lee's youthfulness, strength and skill despite the latter's incredible age. During this visit, the famous photograph of the supercentenarian was taken. After this meeting, Li Qingyun returned to his native land and died 6 years later. There is a legend that before his death he told his friends, “I have done everything I had to do in this world. I’m going home” and then gave up the ghost.

After Li's death, General Yang Sen decided to find out the truth about his life and age. He made recordings that were later published. In 1933, people interviewed Lee's relatives and children. Some said that he had always been old, as long as they could remember, others said that he was friends with their grandfathers.

Although some historians claim that such a man actually existed, most evidence does not allow the story of him to be considered anything other than a myth. One of the possible explanations for the origin of the legends about Li Qingyun is the acquaintance of some life writers with different representatives of the same dynasty, perhaps distinguished by their longevity within reasonable limits. The most likely explanation is a distortion of facts at the stage of collecting scattered information.

The Secret of Longevity

According to rumors, he had 200 descendants and 24 wives, 23 of whom he survived, and the 24th became his widow. And this is quite possible if he really lived 256 years. When asked about the secret of longevity, he replied:

keep your heart quiet,

sit like a turtle
go cheerful like a dove

And sleep like a dog.

Probably, it was about maintaining a calm mental state of a person and good sleep. It is only known that throughout his life he performed special qigong breathing exercises, and also drank an infusion of herbs, the recipe of which is lost or unknown.

To better understand the magnitude of Lee's age, here are some facts:

• If Lee really lived 256 years, then this is an unconditional record among the life expectancy of real, non-mythical people.
• Lee could outlive all Russian emperors, starting with Peter I (who was born only 5 years earlier than Lee) and ending with Nicholas II, and also saw 16 years of Soviet power.
• Lee lived 88 years more than Shirali Muslimov (officially the oldest person in the USSR and unofficially in history), who was 168 years old, 89 years more than the 167-year-old unofficial record holder Ram Avtar Sakha Kanu and 112 years more than the official record holder peace of Omar Abas, who lived 144 years.
• Lee, if he really lived that long, could be the only one who saw his children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, great-great-grandchildren, great-great-great-grandchildren, great-great-great-great-grandchildren, and possibly even later descendants.
• There are many problems with dating. For example, in Russian sources

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 to his longevity was simple: “Keep your heart still, 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 at least 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.

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"

The world's longest-living person in history, Li Ching-Yuen or Li Ching-Yun, died on May 6, 1933 at the age of 256.

Why Lee Ching-Yun is a long-liver

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 visited the old man's place, interviewed people who knew him, and found 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, cannot be particularly trusted, but the records of His Imperial Majesty are serious evidence.

Biography of a centenarian

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 Li was 71 years old, he moved to Kai Xian to join the Chinese army as a martial arts teacher and tactical advisor.

One of his students, Taijiquan martial artist 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. Then you will not need to consult a rheumatologist or other doctors.

In 1927, Ching-Yun visited General Yang Sen at the invitation of General Yang Sen in the city of Wan Xian. The general was fascinated by the freshness of thought, spiritual and physical strength of the centenarian, 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 who were 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.

Description of Lee

One of the facts was a description of Lee's appearance:

"Lee is seven feet tall (2.1 meters), has good eyesight, a lively gait, long nails (as seen in the photograph) and a ruddy complexion."

• Li Qingyun lived all his life in one place - in the mountains of Sichuan province.
• 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.
• The long-lived man was engaged in collecting and selling medicinal herbs.

Fast news today

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 known to human history.

Li Qingyun (Li Ching-Yuen). The photo was taken at the residence of the National Army of 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 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.


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. 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.


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 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.


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.

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

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, Taijiquan martial artist 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 tall (2.1 meters), has good eyesight, a 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.