Man's fascination with the concept of
longevity beyond the 70 or 80 years of the
typical human lifespan is documented in a
variety of writings, myths and legends
stretching back thousands of years. The ancient
Greek historian Herodotus, for example, wrote
of a magical fountain in modern day Ethiopia
that restored the youth of those who bathed in
its waters, and Old Testament reckonings of the
biblical patriarch Methuselah (grandfather of
Noah) put his age at the time of his death at
between 720 and 969 years. Nonetheless,
modern reality pales in comparison to such
accounts, as the longest verified human
lifespan in recorded history is that of Jeanne
Louise Calment, who passed away in her native
France in 1997 at the age of 122.
ORIGIN:
One of the more unusual cases of asserted
human longevity in modern times involved
Chinese resident Li Ching-Yuen (also rendered
as Li Ching-Yun), mention of whom started
appearing in U.S. newspaper accounts in the
1920s accompanied by claims that he had been
born in either 1677 or 1736. When Li Ching-
Yuen finally died in 1933, at a reputed age of
either 197 or 256, the New York Times noted of
his passing that :
Li Ching-yun, a resident of Kaihsien, in
the Province of Szechwan, who
contended that he was one of the
world's oldest men, and said he was
born in 1736 — which would make him
197 years old — died today.
A Chinese dispatch from Chung-king
telling of Mr. Li's death said he
attributed his longevity to peace of
mind and that it was his belief every
one could live at least a century by
attaining inward calm.
Compared with estimates of Li Ching-
yun's age in previous reports from
China the above dispatch is
conservative. In 1930 it was said