Chinese herbalist Li Ching-Yuen was mentioned in Time Magazine and in the New York Times for his longevity. One professor […]
Chinese herbalist Li Ching-Yuen was mentioned in Time Magazine and in the New York Times for his longevity. One professor reported that he had found documents that proved he lived up to 256 years old. Li claimed that he was born in 1736, which would’ve made him 197 when he died in 1933.
According to the Times article, the old men in the neighborhood claimed that Li was already a grown man when they were just children. It appeared as though he was aging faster than everyone around him!
Li began his career as an herbalist at just 10, and for almost forty years, had a diet of mostly herbs, goji berries, lingzi, wild ginseng, he shoo wu, gotu kola, and rice wine. He continued this for the next 100 years of his life.
At the age of 71, in 1749, he joined the Chinese army as a martial arts instructor. You wouldn’t think that a 71-year-old man would be able to engage in such a physically grueling activity, but Li was in far superior shape than his younger trainees.
He was a beloved member of his community, and reportedly married 23 times, fathering some 200 children in the process. But supposedly, he wasn’t even the oldest man that he knew, which is nearly impossible to believe!
One of his disciples claimed that Li once met a 500-year-old man that taught him important Qigong exercises and showed him a special herb-rich diet that can help people live extraordinarily long lives.
When asked about the secret to his long life, Li had this to say: “Keep a quiet heart, sit like a tortoise, walk sprightly like a pigeon, and sleep like a dog.” These are the words of wisdom from a man who clearly was living his life to the fullest extent.
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.
Basically, Li was telling us to take care of ourselves, and try not to let stress come in between us and a long, rich life. It sounds easy when you hear it in those words, but the truth is that it takes time to master. Luckily, we all have the ability to do it if we so desire.