Shi Ping

For the aircraft designer, see Shi Ping (aircraft designer).

Shi Ping (Chinese: 施平; born Shi Eryi (Chinese: 施尔宜); 1 November 1911 – 29 June 2024) was a Chinese academic, political administrator, and supercentenarian. He is posthumously recognised as having been the world's oldest verified living man from the death of Venezuela's Juan Vicente Pérez on 2 April 2024, until his own death.^[1]

Shi Ping
施平
Shi, c. 1937–1938
Vice President of China Agricultural University
In office 1953–1960
Secretary of East China Normal University
In office 1978–1983
Secretary General of Shanghai Municipal People's Congress of the Chinese Communist Party
In office 1983–1985
Personal details
Born	Shi Eryi (1911-11-01)1 November 1911 Dayao County, Yunnan, Qing dynasty
Died	(2024-06-29)29 June 2024 (aged 112 years, 241 days) Jing'an District, Shanghai, China
Political party	Chinese Communist Party
Spouse	Yang Lin ​ ​ (m. 1934; died 1935)​
Children	1
Relatives	Shi Yigong (grandson)
Known for	World's oldest living man (2 April – 29 June 2024) First Chinese supercentenarian to be verified

Biography

Shi was born Shi Eryi (Chinese: 施尔宜)^[2] on 1 November 1911, in Dayao, Yunnan.^[3][4] Between February and August 1931, he studied at the University of Nanking, before moving to Zhejiang University in September of the same year, where he studied until June 1936.

He joined the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in 1938,^[3] and joined as a soldier and fought with the New Fourth Army in 1941 during the Second Sino-Japanese War. At the time of his death, he was the most senior surviving member of the New Fourth Army.

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.

Personal life and death

Shi Ping met his wife, Yang Lin, at Zhejiang University. At the time, Yang was one of the key organizers of revolutionary student movements in Hangzhou. She was arrested and imprisoned by the Nationalist government, accused of being a Communist Party member. She died in a Hangzhou prison just 18 days after giving birth to their son, Shi Huailin, on 23 January 1935. Shi Ping remained a widower for the next 89 years until his death. Their only son, Shi Huailin, became a professor at Zhengzhou Institute of Technology but died in a car accident on 21 September 1987.^[5] Shi's grandson is biophysicist and university president Shi Yigong.^[6]

Shi died on 29 June 2024, at the age of 112 years, 241 days. He had been the world's oldest living man following the death of 114-year-old Juan Vicente Pérez of Venezuela on 2 April 2024, though his age claim was not verified until after his death. Upon his validation in August 2024, he became the first ever verified supercentenarian from China.^[7] He was the last male to be alive at the time of the sinking of the Titanic on 15 April 1912, as well as last male to be alive before the end of the Qing dynasty. Following Shi's death, then 111-year-old John Tinniswood of the United Kingdom became the world's oldest man.