120-Year-Old Man Still Working in Central China: Report

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 ◆ 120-Year-Old Man Still Working in Central China: Report

A man who is believed to be 120 years old remains healthy and strong and is laboring in the fields in central China's Hubei Province, local media reported recently.

Ruan Ruide, a resident of Taping village deep in the mountains of Shennongjia area of Hubei, has lived through three centuries and married three times. However, Ruan now remains a widower as all of his three wives have passed away.

Though the report called Ruan the "oldest person in Hubei Province," he could be the oldest man in China and even the world if his age can be verified. A 116-year-old woman in southwest China's Sichuan Province just received a certificate from the Guinness Book of World Records for being the world's oldest person recently.

The report did not give Ruan's exact date of birth, but said that relevant departments in the local government had carried out investigations into his age.

According to the report, Ruan started to lose both height and weight after he reached the age of 100. He is now only 1.53 meters tall and weighs about 40 kg. However, he maintains a very healthy complexion and can still take two bowls of rice and some meat at each dinner.

Ruan's long life is attributed to several factors such as the village's fine geographical and ecological environment, the villagers' staple diet of corn and potatoes and frequent drinking of honey and water from mountain springs, as well as Ruan's hard work and generous lifestyle.

Taping village, some 1,200 meters above sea level, could be called a "longevity village" in view of the average age of villagers. Among the 363 people from 95 households, there are a dozen who are over 80 years old, including four above 90.