Personally, I think it is unlikely to be true. Although some reports and photos during the Republic of China can confirm the existence of Li Qingyun, there is no direct evidence to prove whether he really lived to be 256 years old. Assuming that Li Qingyun didn't live to be 256, I think it can be proved from three aspects. First of all, there is no record of Li Qingyun's longevity in the history books. Secondly, if Li Qingyun lies about his age, no one can expose him. After all, when he claimed to be born in 1677, there might not be many relatives around him who knew his age. Finally, from the perspective of biological science, 256 years old has far exceeded the limit of human life, so the result is that Li Qingyun lived to 2000 years old.

Li Qingyun, also known as Li Qingyuan, is said to be famous for his cure and longevity during Jiaqing period of Qing Dynasty. But when people didn't live long at that time, if someone lived to sixty or seventy years old, it was also called longevity. Why didn't Li Qingyun, who had lived for so long, be summoned by the emperor? After all, the ancient Emperor of Heaven paid attention to how to make himself live longer, and the Emperor Qianlong was more strict about diet and rest. Therefore, it is strange that there is no record of Li Qingyun's longevity in the history books.

In addition, it does not rule out the possibility that he changed his age, just as some people will lie about his age now. Assuming that Li Qingyun gradually adds his age to his old appearance when he is old, it can really achieve the purpose of aging, then we can't take his age as the standard. From the perspective of biological science, it is unlikely that Li Qingyun will live to be 256 years old, because human cell division limits the limit of human life, that is, 1.80 years old. If Li Qingyun really lives to be 256 years old, that's a question that the bioscience research community has to consider.

So in a word, Li Qingyun does exist, but we can't confirm whether he lived to be 256.