China’s ‘oldest living person’, a Xinjiang Uygur woman born in the 1800s during Qing dynasty, dies at reported age of 135
- An ethnic Uygur, the woman was born on June 25, 1886, according to her Chinese ID card
- Despite state claims she was the country’s oldest living person, this has long been controversial due to a lack of authentication of her age
Almihan Seyiti, who lived in a village in Shule county of Kashgar city and was declared China’s oldest living person in 2013, died at home on Thursday last week, the Xinjiang Daily said over the weekend.
One of the ethnic Uygurs, she was born on June 25, 1886, under the rule of the imperial Qing dynasty, according to an ID card issued to her by Chinese authorities, but her incredible longevity has long been controversial due to her unverifiable birth records.
Guinness World Records said it had not been invited to verify Seyiti’s age independently. If true, she could be the longest-living person in history in the world.
Currently, Jeanne Calment from France, who died at 122 in 1997, holds the Guinness World Record for being the planet’s longest-living person.
The oldest currently living person verified by the organisation is Kane Tanaka, a Japanese woman born in January 1903, who has reportedly survived cancer twice.
Seyiti, who lived with her grandchildren, died peacefully on Thursday morning, the report quoted her family as saying.
She was ranked at the top of China’s ten oldest living people by the China Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics in 2013 and has held the record since.
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Having altogether 43 grandchildren and great-grandchildren, the woman had lived to see her sixth generation of descendants born, the report said.
She was married at the age of 17 in 1903 and was said to have adopted a boy and a girl with her husband, who died in 1976.
She lived a regular life before her death, getting up before 10am and going to bed before 11pm, her family said.
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Her primary carer, grandson Kuerban Nuer, was quoted as saying that she enjoyed singing and dancing and was in the habit of listening to the radio every day. “When hearing music from the radio before sleep, her feet would move along with the rhythm,” he said.
The Shule county government organised a grand birthday party for the woman last year when she reportedly reached 134. According to video clips and photos from the party, Seyiti, wearing a floral hoop and a paper tiara, sang along to music, cheered with a big crowd, and talked to local officials.
