Li Chengyu's father, Li Yiqi, was a small businessman on Shizi Street, Yunyang Prefecture, Hubei Province. His mother's surname is Yuan, and she was from Dayan Township, Yun County. Her parents also gave birth to one older brother and two younger brothers, both of whom married in Yun County.
Li Chengyu's father died early. Later the younger brother brought his mother to live in Zhushan County in the early years of the Republic of China. Mother Li Yuanshi lived until her death in 1954 at the age of 89.
Regarding Li Chengyu's age it is said that she is 118 years old, mainly because after her death, the media reported that she was 118 years old. I have done some research on Li Chengyu's age, and I have my own opinion. There are no fewer than ten versions of her age in writing, and there are more oral versions of the masses, and there is a trend of getting bigger and bigger. I once heard that she is more than 130 years old. Li Chengyu himself once said helplessly, "Why are you talking about such an old age? Old and useless."
Based on my family's relationship with Li Chengyu for generations, I should have a say. My great-grandfather, Wang Dazhang, was a vegetable farmer who had lived in Guangcai Lane in Junzhou City for generations. After Li Chengyu went to Wudang Mountain in Junzhou to become a monk, he went to her house to make friends. My grandmother, Wang Chaohua, was born in 1905. Because she was an urban resident before and after liberation, the age registered on her household registration is very accurate. Before she was married, she often listened to Li Chengyu's preaching, and later lived next to Li Chengyu in Nanguan of Junzhou and Yuxu Palace in Wudang Mountain for more than 30 years, and had a good relationship with her.
In the late 1950s, my mother worked in the old state-owned bee garden factory located in Yuxu Palace, and was close to Li Chengyu for half a century. I was born in the Bee Garden Factory in the 1960s. It can be said that I grew up under Li Chengyu's eyes. For her, I can see it in my eyes and keep it in my heart. It is an indisputable fact that Li Chengyu's age has spanned five generations of my family. When my grandmother was young, she and Li Chengyu worshiped as godsisters, and Li Chengyu was her older sister.
There is another piece of evidence: an old lady named Tang Xueying was adopted by the Welfare Institute of Wudang Mountain Special Zone, who is 99 years old this year (2003). Before liberation, her husband owned one of the best fleets in Jun County. After liberation, they became employees of the supply and marketing cooperatives, so their age records should be very accurate. She also said: My age is a few years younger than that of Ms Li.
In the eyes of the Daoist, human beings live together with the heaven and the earth, living one year is the same as living a hundred years. As long as you cultivate your moral character and do good deeds, your soul will last forever. All who knew her recognised that she was a person who cultivated her inner self and performed good deeds all her life.
In fact, Li Chengyu, as a monk who practiced painstakingly and had a noble moral character, didn't care at all about her age. She has said many times: Daoist sages don't tell their ages; they don't tell their names.
Based on my family's relationship with Li Chengyu for generations, I should have a say. My great-grandfather, Wang Dazhang, was a vegetable farmer who had lived in Guangcai Lane in Junzhou City for generations. After Li Chengyu went to Wudang Mountain in Junzhou to become a monk, he went to her house to make friends. My grandmother, Wang Chaohua, was born in 1905. Because she was an urban resident before and after liberation, the age registered on her household registration is very accurate. Before she was married, she often listened to Li Chengyu's preaching, and later lived next to Li Chengyu in Nanguan of Junzhou and Yuxu Palace in Wudang Mountain for more than 30 years, and had a good relationship with her.
In the late 1950s, my mother worked in the old state-owned bee garden factory located in Yuxu Palace, and was close to Li Chengyu for half a century. I was born in the Bee Garden Factory in the 1960s. It can be said that I grew up under Li Chengyu's eyes. For her, I can see it in my eyes and keep it in my heart. It is an indisputable fact that Li Chengyu's age has spanned five generations of my family. When my grandmother was young, she and Li Chengyu worshiped as godsisters, and Li Chengyu was her older sister.
There is another piece of evidence: an old lady named Tang Xueying was adopted by the Welfare Institute of Wudang Mountain Special Zone, who is 99 years old this year (2003). Before liberation, her husband owned one of the best fleets in Jun County. After liberation, they became employees of the supply and marketing cooperatives, so their age records should be very accurate. She also said: My age is a few years younger than that of Ms Li.
In the eyes of the Daoist, human beings live together with the heaven and the earth, living one year is the same as living a hundred years. As long as you cultivate your moral character and do good deeds, your soul will last forever. All who knew her recognised that she was a person who cultivated her inner self and performed good deeds all her life.
In fact, Li Chengyu, as a monk who practiced painstakingly and had a noble moral character, didn't care at all about her age. She has said many times: Daoist sages don't tell their ages; they don't tell their names.
How did Daoist Sage Li achieve rejuvenation and longevity?
1 Long Years of meditation
It can be said that the secret of longevity for Taoist Li Chengyu lies in the word "quiet". She believes that "quieting my heart can prolong my life" and regards meditation as a superior internal skill for health preservation. Meditation requires quietness and endurance. Since becoming a nun, Li Chengyu has insisted on practicing meditation without interruption, even when her legs were paralyzed. She meditates for at least 6 hours a day, and the longest time is from 6 am to 8 pm, meditating for 14 hours. After she fell and became paralyzed, she also practiced the "Golden Leg Sitting Skill" of crossing her legs to the base of her thighs with her soles facing the sky.
After years of meditation and breathing, she gradually reached the state of "extreme of emptiness and holding stillness" as described in Laozi's "Dao de Jing", and entered the realm of "harmony between man and nature" where she was integrated with nature. She reached the high realm of "emptiness and great concentration" required by the inner alchemy of the Longmen School. According to Ruan Xinlian, Li Chengyu felt uncomfortable and short of breath if she did not meditate for a day. When she was seriously ill, as long as she was able to meditate, her condition would improve.
2 Practice Taiji
Taiji originated from Wudang Mountain and is an important way of keeping healthy for generations of Wudang Taoists. Taiji is a special way of moving with small, slow and gentle movements, and focuses on internal training of spirit. As a complementary exercise for meditation, they complement each other.
3 Throwing the Stick, Turning the Ring
Daoist Li Chengyu always has a small wooden stick in her hand, called the longevity stick, which was passed down to her by her master Zhang Zhishen. She often practices the method of throwing the stick, throwing it up and catching it, repeatedly throwing and catching it, practicing three times a day, throwing and catching it a hundred times each time. Daoist Li Chengyu wears a set of wooden chain rings on her wrist. When throwing and catching the longevity stick, she lets the wooden rings rotate on her wrist at the same time. The two rings rotate and collide to produce pleasant sounds, which has become a unique practice routine.
4 Click teeth, comb hair, exercise eyes and beat nose
Li Chengyu has been practicing four self-health methods for many years. The first is to insist on clicking teeth, vibrating the root of the teeth can play a role in strengthening teeth. The second is to comb your hair frequently with a wooden comb, which can maintain hair, dredge the meridians in the head, and prevent brain aging. The third is to practice eye exercises, from far to near, from near to far every morning and evening, move the eyeballs, forward and reverse circles, then calm your mind, close your eyes, and relax your whole body. If you insist on doing it for many years, you can prevent myopia and presbyopia, and keep your eyes sharp. The fourth is to insist on doing nose exercises, using the thumb to beat the root of the nose, 36 times each time, which can dredge the lung meridian and prevent colds.
5 Moderate Eating and Drinking
In terms of diet, Taoist Master Li Chengyu believes that light food should be considered as a good choice. Light food can make one’s mind clear, spirit vigorous and body healthy and has a long-lasting flavor. In addition to not taking tobacco or alcohol she also insists on mainly eating light vegetables. She loved to eat rice paste, bean curd and wild vegetables the most in her life, and she ate a lot of them for three meals a day. At the same time, she ate in moderation, only eating one bowl per meal, and never wasted a grain of rice or a drop of soup.
6 Herbal Medicine
Daoist Sage Li Chengyu often tells her disciples that hundreds of herbs can cure hundreds of diseases. For decades, she has been cultivating wild vegetables and herbs, including purslane, wormwood, bitter vegetable flowers, and ground cabbage, which can be eaten as vegetarian dishes and have medicinal value for health. Every Dragon Boat Festival, she boils a herb called "cat's eye" and drinks it to clear away heat and disinfect.
7 Tranquility and Desirelessness
In life, Daoist Li Chengyu pursued tranquility and inaction, happy with what she got, not worried about what she lost, able to stand up to things, and to let go when needed. As a result, she was able to maintain a cheerful mood. Even when she lived in shacks and temples, she never complained about her poor food and lodging and poor life, and she never made personal requests to the government or Daoist organisations.
1 Long Years of meditation
It can be said that the secret of longevity for Taoist Li Chengyu lies in the word "quiet". She believes that "quieting my heart can prolong my life" and regards meditation as a superior internal skill for health preservation. Meditation requires quietness and endurance. Since becoming a nun, Li Chengyu has insisted on practicing meditation without interruption, even when her legs were paralyzed. She meditates for at least 6 hours a day, and the longest time is from 6 am to 8 pm, meditating for 14 hours. After she fell and became paralyzed, she also practiced the "Golden Leg Sitting Skill" of crossing her legs to the base of her thighs with her soles facing the sky.
After years of meditation and breathing, she gradually reached the state of "extreme of emptiness and holding stillness" as described in Laozi's "Dao de Jing", and entered the realm of "harmony between man and nature" where she was integrated with nature. She reached the high realm of "emptiness and great concentration" required by the inner alchemy of the Longmen School. According to Ruan Xinlian, Li Chengyu felt uncomfortable and short of breath if she did not meditate for a day. When she was seriously ill, as long as she was able to meditate, her condition would improve.
2 Practice Taiji
Taiji originated from Wudang Mountain and is an important way of keeping healthy for generations of Wudang Taoists. Taiji is a special way of moving with small, slow and gentle movements, and focuses on internal training of spirit. As a complementary exercise for meditation, they complement each other.
3 Throwing the Stick, Turning the Ring
Daoist Li Chengyu always has a small wooden stick in her hand, called the longevity stick, which was passed down to her by her master Zhang Zhishen. She often practices the method of throwing the stick, throwing it up and catching it, repeatedly throwing and catching it, practicing three times a day, throwing and catching it a hundred times each time. Daoist Li Chengyu wears a set of wooden chain rings on her wrist. When throwing and catching the longevity stick, she lets the wooden rings rotate on her wrist at the same time. The two rings rotate and collide to produce pleasant sounds, which has become a unique practice routine.
4 Click teeth, comb hair, exercise eyes and beat nose
Li Chengyu has been practicing four self-health methods for many years. The first is to insist on clicking teeth, vibrating the root of the teeth can play a role in strengthening teeth. The second is to comb your hair frequently with a wooden comb, which can maintain hair, dredge the meridians in the head, and prevent brain aging. The third is to practice eye exercises, from far to near, from near to far every morning and evening, move the eyeballs, forward and reverse circles, then calm your mind, close your eyes, and relax your whole body. If you insist on doing it for many years, you can prevent myopia and presbyopia, and keep your eyes sharp. The fourth is to insist on doing nose exercises, using the thumb to beat the root of the nose, 36 times each time, which can dredge the lung meridian and prevent colds.
5 Moderate Eating and Drinking
In terms of diet, Taoist Master Li Chengyu believes that light food should be considered as a good choice. Light food can make one’s mind clear, spirit vigorous and body healthy and has a long-lasting flavor. In addition to not taking tobacco or alcohol she also insists on mainly eating light vegetables. She loved to eat rice paste, bean curd and wild vegetables the most in her life, and she ate a lot of them for three meals a day. At the same time, she ate in moderation, only eating one bowl per meal, and never wasted a grain of rice or a drop of soup.
6 Herbal Medicine
Daoist Sage Li Chengyu often tells her disciples that hundreds of herbs can cure hundreds of diseases. For decades, she has been cultivating wild vegetables and herbs, including purslane, wormwood, bitter vegetable flowers, and ground cabbage, which can be eaten as vegetarian dishes and have medicinal value for health. Every Dragon Boat Festival, she boils a herb called "cat's eye" and drinks it to clear away heat and disinfect.
7 Tranquility and Desirelessness
In life, Daoist Li Chengyu pursued tranquility and inaction, happy with what she got, not worried about what she lost, able to stand up to things, and to let go when needed. As a result, she was able to maintain a cheerful mood. Even when she lived in shacks and temples, she never complained about her poor food and lodging and poor life, and she never made personal requests to the government or Daoist organisations.