Luo Meizhen facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Luo Meizhen
|
|
|---|---|
| 羅美珍 | |
| Born | 9 July 1885 (claimed) |
| Died | 4 June 2013 (claimed age 127) Bama Yao Autonomous County, Guangxi, People's Republic of China
|
| Occupation | farmer |
| Known for | longevity claimant |
Luo Meizhen (simplified Chinese: 罗美珍; traditional Chinese: 羅美珍; pinyin: Luó Měizhēn) was a woman from China who was believed to be the oldest person in the world. She claimed to have been born on July 9, 1885, and lived until June 4, 2013. This would have made her 127 years old!
A group called the Gerontological Society of China supported her claim. However, it was hard to prove because there were no official birth records in her part of China when she was born. This meant that her age could not be fully confirmed.
Her Life in China
Luo Meizhen's official papers said she was born in Guangxi province on July 9, 1885. But these papers were made much later in her life. It was difficult to check her exact birth date because birth records were not kept in her region until 1949.
She belonged to the Yao ethnic group and lived in a place called Bama county. Bama is famous for having many very old people. In 2011, a census showed that Bama had about 31 people over 100 years old for every 100,000 residents!
Luo Meizhen never learned to read or write. She worked as a farmer and a housewife her whole life. People who knew her said she was a kind but strong-willed woman.
Luo Meizhen had five children. Some people wondered about her age because if she was born in 1885, she would have had her youngest son when she was 61 years old. This is quite unusual for a mother.
Claim to Be the Oldest
In 2010, the Gerontological Society of China announced that Luo Meizhen, at 125 years old, was the oldest living person in China. This also meant she was likely the oldest person in the entire world!
However, because there were no official birth records from her early life, Guinness World Records could not officially confirm her age. They need very clear proof to list someone as the oldest person.
Her Final Years
After being ill for a few months, Luo Meizhen passed away on June 4, 2013. She was believed to be 127 years old. She died of natural causes. By the time she passed away, she had many great-great-grandchildren, showing how large her family had grown over her long life.
