Li Ching Yuen – Oldest Living Man Reveals His Secrets to Longevity Before Death at Age 256

 
By Steven Bancarz
According to a 1930 New York Times article, Wu Chung-chieh, a professor of the Chengdu University, discovered Imperial Chinese government records from 1827 congratulating Li Ching-Yuen on his 150th birthday,  and further documents later congratulating him on his 200th birthday in 1877.   In 1928, a New York Times correspondent wrote that many of the old men in Li’s neighborhood asserted that their grandfathers knew him when they were boys, and that he at that time was a grown man.

Li Ching Yuen reportedly began his herbalist career at the age of 10, where he gathered herbs in mountain ranges and learned of their potency for longevity. For almost 40 years, he survived on a diet of herbs such as lingzhi, goji berry, wild ginseng, he shoo wu and gotu kola and rice wine. In 1749, at the age of 71, he joined the Chinese armies as teacher of martial arts.  Li was said to be a much-loved figure in his community, marrying 23 times and fathering over 200 children.
According to the generally accepted tales told in his province, Li was able to read and write as a child, and by his tenth birthday had traveled in Kansu, Shansi, Tibet, Annam, Siam and Manchuria gathering herbs. For the first hundred years he continued at this occupation. Then he switched to selling herbs gathered by others.   He sold 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

He Wasn’t The Only One

According to one of Li’s disciples, he had once encountered an even older 500-year-old man, who taught him Qigong exercises and dietary recommendations that would help him extend his lifespan to superhuman proportions.  Apart from Qigong and a herb-rich diet, what else can we learn from this Master of Longevity?
How about this:  On his death bed, Li famously said, “I have done all that I have to do in this world”.  Could his peaceful last words also hint at one of the biggest secrets to a long and prosperous life?  It’s interesting to note that in the West, we’re often taught to believe that aging is something that must be “beaten” with high tech infrared devices and state of the art medication.

HIS SECRET TO LONG HEALTH:

Li was asked what his secret was to longevity.  This was his reply:  “Keep a quiet heart, sit like a tortoise, walk sprightly like a pigeon and sleep like a dog.” These were the words of advice Li gave to Wu Pei-fu, the warlord, who took Li into his house to learn the secret of extremely long life.
Li maintained that inward calm and peace of mind combined with breathing techniques were the secrets to incredible longevity.  Obviously, his diet would have played a large role.  But its fascinating that the old living person in recorded history attributes his long life to his state of mind.

WHY IS THIS SO HARD TO BELIEVE?

With the average lifespan for the Western world currently sitting between 70-85 years, the thought of someone living over 100 years old seems like quite the stretch.  The thought of someone living over 200 years old seems extremely suspicious.  But why don’t we believe that people can live this long?
We have to keep in mind that some people in this world don’t live a grueling 9-5 lifestyle, they don’t have to deal with the stresses of debt, they aren’t breathing polluted city air, and they exercise regularly.  They don’t eat refined sugars or flour, or any foods that have had pesticides sprayed on them.  They aren’t living off of the standard American diet.
They aren’t eating fatty meats, sugary deserts, and genetically modified foods.  No antibiotics.  No alcohol and no tobacco.  Their diets not only exclude junk foods that we so often indulge in, they also include superfoods and herbs which are like steroids for our organs and immune system.
They also spend their spare time in nature practicing breathing techniques and meditating which have been proven to improve mental, physical, and emotional health.  They keep things simple, get proper sleep, and spend a great deal of time in nature under the sun.  When we get a chance to relax in the sun, we feel instantly rejuvenated and call this a “vacation”.  Imagine spending a lifetime doing that in the mountains, and combining that with perfect mental, spiritual, and physical well-being.

I do not doubt for a minute that if we all did the things we knew we were supposed to do, that living to be 100 years old would be commonplace.  When we treat our bodies right, who knows how long we can live for?
Steven Bancarz is the creator of ‘Spirit Science and Metaphysics’. I am working on a new social platform is being built called ‘The Conscious Forum‘ to provide the best place online for open-minded people to discuss, engage, and connect with one another in a way never offered before.

Source: Spirit Science & Metaphysics

Editor Note: I found this article fascinating so I dug a little deeper and found more information, below. 

Li Ching-yun, the last descendant of Methuselah

By Gianni Rizzo
According to the Bible the man who has lived longer on Earth was Methuselah, who was born in 3073 BC and died in 2104 BC at the age of 969 years, seven days before the Flood. His father Enoch died 365 years old, his grandson Noah died 950 years old, Adam, whose Methuselah was a seventh-generation direct descendant, died at 930 years. Ages which for centuries seem not being able to be reached by humanity, despite medical advances and generally better living conditions.
Longevity to justify cuts in many spoke of symbolic dates, of Sumerian mathematics, based sexagesimal and not decimal, of the indication of the lunar months and not of the years, of possible descent from genetic experiments of ancient alien astronauts on terrestrial specimens. But not everybody knows that in recent times there has been at least one instance, documented, as a man able to live well beyond the 100th anniversary. Was a Chinese, named Li Ching-yun (or Li Ching-yuen), born in 1677 or in 1736 depending on the source and died May 6, 1933, at an age of 197 or 256 years depending on the deemed correct date of birth.

A confirmation of anyway amazing longevity, in 1827 the Chinese imperial government sent to the then teacher of martial arts and tactic of the imperial army its best wishes for the fulfillment of 150th birthday. There are many unbelievers even in this case; however, a few days after his death, a Time article explained that many Chinese people who had known him not only reported to have memories from childhood as an already very old man, but to have heard of their grandparents who had also their friend from an early age, while still appearing as an aged man.

An official research carried out by Professor Wu Chung-chien discovered that Li had 14 to 24 wives and at least 180 direct descendants, everyone still alive in 1928, distributed out of eleven generations. Of Li also exist some official photos: the last was taken when the Chinese General Yang Sen, fascinated by great longevity and at the same time by the continued strength of Li, invited him to his palace to Wam Xian, in 1927. He will not come to touch the thousand years, but perhaps also in Li Ching-yun still flowed the “alien blood” that could have kept so long in life Methuselah and his ancestors and descendants.
Source: Fan Wave