What is the oldest chinese person to ever live?

Longevity claims are unsubstantiated cases of asserted human longevity. Those asserting lifespans of 110 years or more are referred to as supercentenarians. Many have either no official verification or are backed only by partial evidence. Cases where longevity has been fully verified, according to modern standards of longevity research, are reflected in an established list of supercentenarians based on the work of such international institutions as the Gerontology Research Group (GRG) and/or the Guinness World Records.

Old age consists of ages nearing or surpassing the average life span of human beings, and thus the end of the human life cycle. Euphemisms and terms for old people include, old people (worldwide usage), seniors (American usage), senior citizens (British and American usage), older adults (in the social sciences), the elderly, and elders (in many cultures including the cultures of aboriginal people).

Old people often have limited regenerative abilities and are more prone to disease, syndromes, and sickness than younger adults. For the biology of ageing, see senescence. The medical study of the aging process is gerontology, and the study of diseases that afflict the elderly is geriatrics. The elderly also face other social issues such as retirement, loneliness and ageism, unlike younger people.

Longevity myths are traditions about long-lived people (generally supercentenarians), either as individuals or groups of people, and practices that have been believed to confer longevity, but for which scientific evidence does not support the ages claimed or the reasons for the claims. While literal interpretations of such myths may appear to indicate extraordinarily long life spans many scholars believe such figures may be the result of incorrect translation of numbering systems through various languages coupled by the cultural and or symbolic significance of certain numbers.

The phrase "longevity tradition" may include "purifications, rituals, longevity practices, meditations, and alchemy" that have been believed to confer greater human longevity, especially in Chinese culture.

Du Pinhua (Chinese: 杜品华, 22 April 1886? – 11 December 2006) was a Chinese claimant to the world's oldest person title. She lived in Leshan. According to the Shanghai Great World Guinness Book of Records (unaffiliated with the similarly named Guinness World Records in London), Pinhua was proclaimed the world's oldest person in 2002. The claim disappeared for almost four years before resurfacing in April 2006, when it was claimed that Du celebrated her 120th birthday. Her age had not been internationally recognized.

Guinness in London and the Gerontology Research Group both said at the time that María Capovilla of Ecuador was the world's oldest living person. Capovilla was born on 14 September 1889, about 3½ years after Pinhua’s alleged birth date.

Oberia Coffin (December 1, 1883? – October 18, 2006) was an American woman claimed to have been aged 7002122000000000000122 years, 7002321000000000000321 days at her death, which if true could have made her the world's oldest person, more than six years older than the official titleholder at the time, Elizabeth Bolden, who died aged 116 and 118 days, and even older than Jeanne Calment, the world's validated oldest person ever. No early-life documents, however, have been located.

Born in Dalby Springs, Texas, Coffin had no birth certificate and no known living relatives. Her social security records, however, listed her as born December 1, 1883. At the time of her death, Coffin was the second-oldest claimant in the United States and seventh-oldest claimant in the world overall (see longevity claims for list), although officially the 'oldest person' title belonged to Elizabeth Bolden, who, unlike Coffin, has been located in the 1900 census.

María Esther Heredia de Capovilla (née Lecaro; known internationally as María Capovilla; 14 September 1889 – 27 August 2006) was an Ecuadorian supercentenarian, and, at the time of her death at age 116 years 347 days, was recognized by Guinness World Records. as the world's oldest living person. She was the last remaining person born in the 1880s]citation needed[.

Capovilla is the oldest person ever of South America as well as of the Southern Hemisphere]citation needed[. At the time of her death, she was one of seven verified people to reach age 116. Capovilla is also the oldest person from a developing country]citation needed[.