The Man Who Lived to 256: Secret to an Impossibly Long Life

If you start researching the oldest people who have ever lived, you’ll find reports from all over the world. There’s the man in Brazil, a father of three, who supposedly reached 131. Then there are stories of a farmer and community elder in Ethiopia who claimed to be 160 years old.

But none of these come close to the incredible story of Li Ching-Yuen, who reportedly lived to the astonishing age of 256.

According to his 1933 obituary, titled “Tortoise–Pigeon–Dog” and published in both The New York Times and Time Magazine, Li Ching-Yuen stated he was born in 1736. However, records discovered by Professor Wu Chung-Chieh of Chengdu University suggested an even earlier date, showing Li was actually born in 1677 in Qijiang, Sichuan Province, China.

These findings are backed by compelling evidence: there were even congratulatory letters from the Imperial Chinese government wishing him well on his 150th and 200th birthdays!

A Life of Herbs, Martial Arts, and Wandering

Li Ching-Yuen was a doctor who specialized in herbs. He was also a Qigong master and a tactical consultant. While details about his early life are scarce, he was said to be a child prodigy and an avid traveler. By the time he was only 10 years old, he had already journeyed to Manchuria, Thailand, and Tibet in his search for potent herbs. He then worked with, searched for, and sold herbs for the next 100 years of his life. Imagine having a career change at the age of 100 and still having more than half your life ahead of you!

In his personal life, Li reportedly married 24 times and outlived 23 of his wives. Another account states that at the time of his death, he had 180 living descendants spanning 11 generations.

The Longevity Secret

So, what was the secret to such an impossibly long life?

Li once shared his wisdom with Wu Pei-fu, a Chinese warlord, offering this simple yet profound formula for longevity. Get ready for it:

“Keep a quiet heart, sit like a tortoise, walk sprightly like a pigeon, and sleep like a dog.”

This is quite different from how most of us live!

Li’s daily life was relatively simple and disciplined:

• He did not drink hard liquor or smoke.
• He ate his meals at set times and maintained a vegetarian diet.
• He frequently drank Goji berry tea.
• He went to bed early and rose early.
• He mediated daily, a practice he supposedly learned from a Taoist priest he once encountered.

Beyond his physical habits, Li was known for being a very kind and generous individual. It was said that when he played cards in his spare time, he would often lose on purpose, but only enough to cover his opponent’s meals for the day. Because of this considerate nature, he was very well-liked in his community.

Beyond 200: Cultivators and Open Minds

Li Ching-Yuen’s story is incredible, but it taps into a belief system common in China. Accounts of Taoist priests or Buddhist monks living for hundreds, or even several hundred years, while practicing cultivation deep in the mountains or woods, are fairly common.

For many Chinese people, these are not myths or legends; they are believed to be true. It’s why there are numerous stories of people who venture into the deep woods and mountains specifically seeking out these long-lived figures to become their disciples. There was even a report of a newspaper reporter who successfully met some of these “cultivators” while researching a story in the mountains.

I know this might sound far-fetched, but the topic of people who have lived extraordinarily long lives, well beyond 120 or 130, is fascinating. Whether you believe people can live for hundreds of years or not, Li Ching-Yuen’s story provides a powerful reminder of the potential impact of a disciplined, calm, and simple life.