The oldest (known) living man in China, and possibly the world’s oldest living man, Shi Ping, passed away in Shanghai on June 29. At the time of his passing, he was 112 years, 241 days old. His passing was confirmed by ThePaper.cn.

Shi Ping was born in Dayao County, a town in north-central Yunnan province, China, on 1 November 1911. Born named Shi Eryi, he was born into a scholarly family who strongly valued education. In 1929, aged 17, he traveled to Nanjing, and initially attended Nanjing Jinling University in 1931, but was unable to continue due to the high tuition costs, and transferred to Zhejiang University, where he was admitted to the university’s agriculture college.

While attending university, he joined a group of around 2,000 student representatives from various schools in Hangzhou, where they traveled to Nanjing to protest the government’s diplomatic relationship with Japan. It was around this time when he met his future wife, Yang Lin, a fellow student in the agricultural college, and the couple married in 1934. Later on in the same year, Lin – who was pregnant at the time – was imprisoned due to her involvement in the organization of communist student activities. While in prison, she gave birth to their son on 5 January 1935. Tragically, Lin experienced complications in childbirth and passed away in prison just 18 days after giving birth, leaving her grief-stricken, widowed husband to name their son Huailin in her honor.

He joined the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in 1938, joining and fighting within the New Fourth Army in 1941 during the Second Sino-Japanese War as a soldier. Shi became vice president of Beijing Agricultural University in 1953, holding the post until 1960. From 1978 to 1983, he was the CCP Committee Secretary for East China Normal University. Shi served as Secretary General of Shanghai Municipal People’s Congress from 1983 to 1985.

Shi’s grandson is biophysicist and university president Shi Yigong.

On 2 April 2024, following the passing of Juan Vicente Pérez Mora of Venezuela, he became a candidate for the title of the world’s oldest living man. The current validated titleholder, John Tinniswood, was born in August 1912.

LongeviQuest sends our deepest condolences to the bereaved family and friends of Mr. Shi Ping.