Lin Shemu, believed to be the oldest woman in the world, has d!ed aged 122 after passing away peacefully in her sleep at her home having in the Chinese province of Fujian.
Lin Shemu, who was born on June 18, 1902, witnessed two world wars, two pandemics and the rollout of electricity to British houses in her life that spanned 122 years and 197 days.
She was born into the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty in China when Theodore Roosevelt was the US President and Lord Salisbury was the Prime Minister of Great Britain.
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Lin lived her whole life in the Chinese province of Fujian, situated between Shanghai and Hong Kong in China. She was 10 years old when the Titanic sank in 1912.
Lin had three sons and four daughters with her late husband.
Her youngest son is 77 years old today, February 4, 2025.
Apart from losing her eyesight due to old age and injuring both legs in a fall, Lin suffered from no other illnesses and was able to take care of herself her whole life.
She always maintained a sharp sense of hearing and a good appetite, according to her relatives.
Her youngest son said she was always content and good-humoured.
He stated that she would quickly find a spring in her step if she was ever feeling down and that he never saw her argue with anyone.
She would often tell her children: “There is no obstacle in life that cannot be overcome.”
When she was asked about the secret of her longevity in the past, Lin answered: “Being able to eat, drink and sleep. They are a blessing.”
Lin’s family never applied to Guinness World Records to have her age verified.
As a result, she was never officially named as the oldest person alive, though her ID showed she was born in 1902.
The oldest woman alive today is considered to be Brazilian nun Inah Canabarro Lucas at 116 years. She replaced Japan’s Tomiko Itooka, who was recognised as the world’s oldest living person.
Tomiko Itooka, a Japanese woman, died at the age of 116 on December 29, 2024. She was recognized by Guinness World Records as the world’s oldest person.
