In the past April, a world record was broken again, and it turned out that after the Guinness World Records staff newly certified, an elderly man from the United Kingdom, John Alfred Tyniswood, was awarded the honor of "the world's oldest living man". This old man was born in August 1912, and he has spent 112 years of spring and autumn, and the longevity of this old Englishman is also amazing.
However, for this certification of Guinness World Records, mainland netizens did not buy it. The reason is that there is an older man on the mainland who is still alive, he is 10 months older than the British old man. This old man's name is Shi Ping, a veteran of the New Fourth Army and a retired cadre. He is as old as 113 years old, but he is still in good spirits and admirable.
Shi Ping's life can be said to be magnificent and full of legends. He was born in 1911, which means that he is the only Qing Dynasty man in the world who is still alive. With such a background, when he looks back on his life, he can always bring out a sense of historical heaviness.
In his youth, Shi Ping was influenced by progressive ideas and actively devoted himself to the construction and development of the country. He was later admitted to the College of Agriculture of Zhejiang University, and actively participated in the student movement during his time at school, showing strong patriotic feelings and firm beliefs. After the September 18 Incident, the anti-Japanese enthusiasm of the whole country was high, and Shi Ping led the students of various colleges and universities in Hangzhou to carry out the anti-Japanese salvation movement, and made great efforts for the independence of the country and the happiness of the people.
After the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, Shi Ping joined the New Fourth Army without hesitation and became a political cadre. He served as the head of the Democracy Movement Department in the Soviet Union and Central China, and made important contributions to the victory of the Anti-Japanese War. After the liberation, Shi Ping was transferred to work in the education department, and served as the president of several colleges and universities in Beijing, devoting a lot of effort to the country's education.
Shi Ping has worked hard all his life and dedicated his all to the country and the people. In 1985, he retired with honor, at the age of 74, he still maintained his vigorous energy and full of enthusiasm. Today, Shi Ping has been retired for 39 years, and his life is still full of vitality and fun, and has become a model of longevity in people's hearts.
As to why Shi Ping failed to be certified by Guinness World Records, there are a number of complex factors behind this. The Guinness Book of World Records certification process is very rigorous, especially for age certification. It requires applicants to submit not only an official birth certificate, but also a series of supporting documents to prove their age. For Mr. Shi Ping, his experience of studying in Hangzhou and his work in the New Fourth Army undoubtedly provide him with strong proof, and these materials clearly record the date of his birth.
However, there is one thing that cannot be avoided, and that is the issue of Mr. Shi Ping's birth certificate. He was born in a special era in the late Qing Dynasty, when the Republic of China had not yet been established, and the birth certificate system was not yet widespread in China at that time. In fact, until the Republican period, only a few regions such as Western countries and Japan had a birth certificate system, while China during the Qing Dynasty did not have such a system at all. Therefore, Mr. Shi Ping was unable to provide the key material of birth certificate, and naturally could not be certified by Guinness World Records.
Although Mr. Shi Ping was not able to obtain this certification, it does not affect our respect and blessing for him in my opinion. Age is just a number, what really matters is Mr. Shi Ping's physical health and mental state. The fact that he was able to maintain such a good physical condition is enough to make us feel relieved and admired. Therefore, let us wish Mr. Shi good health and hope that he can continue to enjoy a happy old age and live longer!