When a simple Chinese herbalist Li Qingyun died in 1933, the news of his death spread throughout the leading publications in different countries. How has a humble Chinese man earned the attention of newspapers around the world? The fact that Lee, in his own words, lived 197 years, and if you believe the official records - all 256.
Here is a copy of an obituary published in the New York Times on May 6, 1933: “Li Qingyun passed away at the age of 197. "Keep your heart calm, sit like a turtle, walk briskly like a dove, sleep like a dog" - this is his secret of longevity. According to official figures, his age at the time of death was 256 years old. He buried 23 wives, from whom he made 180 children, and for the first hundred years of his life he traded in herbs."
Where does the 59-year difference between the official date of birth and the one voiced by Lee come from? Oddly enough, out of my head: researchers believe that the old man simply forgot the real date of his birth.
Unfortunately, little is known about the biography of the herbalist. Official papers indicate that he was born in 1677 in Sichuan province. By his ten years, he had learned to read and write and had already visited Gansu, Shanxi, Tibet, Annam, Siam and Manchuria, where he collected herbs. This 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 adviser. In 1927, that is, 179 (!) Years later, Li arrived on a visit to the 43-year-old General Yan Sen in Sichuan province. The general was fascinated by Lee's youthful appearance and his strength and valor. Visiting the military leader, the most famous, if not the only, photograph of Li Qingyuan was taken. Later, the general 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 he died, he told his friends: “I did everything that needs to be done in this world. Now I am going home,”and after that I departed 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 the matter, which was later published. Sichuan residents interviewed in 1933 recalled that they saw Li as children, and that during the entire time that they knew him, he has not changed. Others said that the herbalist was still friends with their grandfathers. However, the true story of Li Qingyuan's life path may remain a mystery forever.
Some evidence of Lee's contemporaries still remained. In 1930, Professor Wu Cheng-Jie of Chengdu University discovered papers from the Chinese imperial government, which contained Li's congratulations on his 150th birthday, dated 1927, and on his 200th birthday.
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Peter Kelder, author of The Ancient Secrets of Youth, quotes a story told by one of Li's students, Tai Chi Chuan master Da Liu. According to Liu, at the age of 130, his teacher met an old hermit in the mountains, who taught him the Baguazhang martial art and the Qigong health system. Li himself told Da Liu that he owed his longevity to doing the exercises “regularly, correctly and with full dedication” for 120 years. And Dr. Yan Jin-Ming explains Li's longevity by the fact that he spent most of his life in the mountains.
If the 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. To date, the French woman Jeanne Louise Kalman, who died in 1997 at the age of 122, is officially considered the oldest inhabitant of the planet.
Nevertheless, the masters of ancient Chinese practices unanimously declare that regardless of whether Li Qingyuan was a real person or a mythical character, his life serves as a source of inspiration for them.
TIN NATALIA