Li Ching-Yuen was a Chinese herbalist, martial artist and tactical advisor, born in Qi Jiang Xian, China. He claimed to be born in 1736, while disputed records suggest 1677. Both alleged lifespans of 197 and 256 years far exceed the longest confirmed lifespan of 122 years and 164 days of the French woman Jeanne Calment. So he is concerned to be the oldest person in the world.
Education
Nothing is known about his childhood, except the fact that by the age of 10 he was quite educated, had visited Caen Su, Shansi, Tibet, Annam, Siam and Manchuria were he began gathering herbs in the mountain ranges, and also began learning longevity methods, surviving on a diet of herbs and rice wine. He lived this way for the first 40 years of his life. When he was 130 years old Master Li met an older hermit, over 500 years old, in the mountains who taught him Baguazhang and a set of Qigong with breathing instructions, movements training coordinated with specific sounds, and dietary recommendations. Returning home, he died a year later, some say of natural causes; others claim that he told friends that "I have done all I have to do in this world. I will now go home."
Career
He worked as a herbalist, selling reishi, goji berry, wild ginseng, he shou wu and gotu kola along with other Chinese herbs. In 1749, when he was 71 years old, he moved to Kai Xian to join the Chinese army as a teacher of the martial arts and as a tactical advisor. In 1927, the National Revolutionary Army General Yang Sen (揚森), invited him to his residence in Wann Hsien, Szechuan province. Chinese General Yang Sen wrote a report about him, "A Factual Account of the 250 Year-Old Good-Luck Man", where he described Li 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 was also the creator of Jiulong Baguazhang (or Nine Dragons Baguazhang) - ne of the three main Chinese martial arts of the Wudang school, the other two being Taijiquan and Xingyiquan.
Views
Quotations:
Li said that his longevity "is due to the fact that I performed the exercises every day - regularly, correctly, and with sincerity - for 120 years.
Li Ching-Yuen's answer to the secret of a long life:
"Tranquil mind,
sit like a tortoise,
walk sprightly like a pigeon,
sleep like a dog".