Li Ching-yuen

Li Ching-Yuen 李清雲
Li Ching-Yuen at the residence of National Revolutionary Army General Yang Sen in Wanxian, Sichuan in 1927
Born	1677 and 1736 claimed Sichuan, Qing Dynasty
Died	6 May 1933 (aged 197 or 256) Sichuan, Republic of China
Cause of death	Natural Causes
Known for	Extreme longevity claim and spiritual practices by means of herbs
Height	7 ft (210 cm)
Spouse(s)	24

Li Ching-Yuen or Li Ching-Yun (simplified Chinese: 李清云; traditional Chinese: 李清雲; pinyin: Lǐ Qīngyún) (claimed to be born 1677 or 1736 - died 6 May 1933) was a Chinese herbalist, martial artist and tactical advisor, known for his supposed extreme longevity. He claimed to be born in 1736, while disputed records suggest 1677. Both claimed lifespans of 197 and 256 years, far exceeding the longest confirmed lifespan of 122 years and 164 days of the French woman Jeanne Calment. His true date of birth was never determined and his claims have been dismissed by gerontologists as a myth.

Li Ching-Yuen was born at an uncertain date (see Longevity below) in Qijiang Xian, Sichuan, Qing Empire.

He spent most of his life in the mountains and was skilled in Qigong. He worked as an herbalist, selling 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.

It was generally accepted in Sichuan, that Li was fully literate as a child, and that by his tenth birthday had travelled to Kansu, Shansi, Tibet, Vietnam, Thailand and Manchuria with the purpose of gathering herbs, continuing with this occupation for a century, before beginning to purvey instead herbs gathered by others.