希迪里姆·恩德谢

You wouldnt know it watching him take care of his chickens on the family farm， but according to his birth certificate and official Mexican ID， Manuel Garcia Hernandez is 121 years old.

Garcia， who may just be the worlds oldest man， was born on 24 December 1896， according to his birth certificate from the Mexican state of Veracruz and his official identity card from the National Electoral Institute.

Mexican Manuel Garcia Hernandez， who claims to be 121 years old， poses for a picture at his home in Ciudad Juarez， Chihuahua state， Mexico on May 16， 2018.

He has never bothered calling the people at Guinness World Records to make it official.

But if his documents are correct， he is more than eight years older than Masazo Nonaka of Japan， the man who currently holds the title—born on 25 July 1905.

Anyway， age is only a number. Garcia says he doesnt feel a day over 80.

He says he only has two regrets in his very long life： losing his father at a young age， and the fact he can no longer work.

Yet he is impressively spry as he tosses feed to his chickens at the home he shares with his daughter in Ciudad Juarez， northern Mexico.

“Im happy， but I do feel tired. Im making an effort， because if I just lay in bed or sat in a chair all day， then I would get sick，” said Garcia， dressed in his trademark cowboy hat and Western shirt.

“I feel like Im 80 years old—though Im starting to stumble a bit when I walk，” he told AFP.

Garcia has seen a dizzying amount in his lifetime， from the arrival of electricity to the invention of television， the Mexican Revolution and the election of US President Donald Trump—his 22nd American president.

He started working in the fields at nine years old.

His father， who made and sold his own sweets， died at 35. It still saddens Garcia to have lost him so young， he said.

He himself did not get married until he was 45—to Rosa Medino， who was just 13 at the time.

They had five children， 15 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren， and were married for almost seven decades， until Rosa died eight years ago.

After that， Garcia moved north to Ciudad Juarez to live with his daughter Tomasa， who is 54.

Tomasas daughter and her family live next door， and another neighbour， an American， lets Garcia raise chickens in his large patio.

Garcia says caring for the chickens has helped keep him alive， and wishes he could work more.

“Id like to be able to work the way I used to， make my living in the fields. But I cant anymore. That makes me sad. I was very hard-working as a young man，” he said.

So， is Garcia the worlds oldest man？

Alice Pagan， a spokeswoman for Guinness World Records， said he would have to ask the company to check it out.

“We ask for a great deal of paperwork and proof to substantiate claims that meet our official guidelines. We also work with various expert gerontologists and consultants who assist in the investigation of such claims，” she told AFP in an email.

If Garcia really is 121， he would be not only the oldest man alive， but the oldest man ever， according to Guinness—beating Jiroemon Kimura of Japan， who died in 2013 at 116 years old.

The oldest woman ever was Jeanne Louise Calment of France， who died in 1997 at 122 years old， 164 days.

Garcias skin is wrinkled with age， and he lost a finger at 80 years old when it got tangled in his twirling lasso—an ancient cowboys war wound.

But he is in remarkably good health： he walks surprisingly fast， his vision is good since he had cataract surgery three years ago—though the sun hurts his eyes—and his mind is sharp.

He said he hopes to live to 125.

The keys to a long life， he said， are sleeping well， waking up early， eating healthy， taking vitamins and work.

He gets up every morning at 5：30 am and starts the day with a banana and apple smoothie， oatmeal and two eggs. Then he goes out to tend to his chickens.

“I ask God to give him some more years， until he has had enough，” said his daughter Tomasa.

“Sometimes he tells me his candle is going to go out little by little， but I dont think so. Hes alive， and Im happy for that.”

從曼努埃尔·加西亚·埃尔南德斯在农场养鸡的样子看不出来他有多大年纪，但是依据出生证明和墨西哥官方身份证，他时年121岁。

根据墨西哥韦拉克鲁斯州出具的出生证明和国家选举机构提供的官方身份证，加西亚出生于1896年12月24日，可能是世界上最年长的男性。

2018年5月16日，自称121岁的墨西哥人曼努埃尔·加西亚·埃尔南德斯在家门口摆好姿势照了一张相。他的家位于墨西哥奇瓦瓦州华雷斯城。

他从未费神联络过吉尼斯世界纪录的工作人员做认证。

但若那些身份文件属实，那他就比吉尼斯认证的在世最高龄男性还年长8岁。后者是出生于1905年7月25日的日本人野中正造。

不过，年龄只是一个数字。加西亚表示，他天天都觉得自己还没过80岁。

回顾漫长的人生，他说自己只有两件憾事：一是年幼丧父，二是现在无法再工作了。

不过，他在家里给鸡崽投喂饲料时精力充沛的样子令人印象深刻。他如今和女儿同住在墨西哥北部的华雷斯城。

“我很快乐，但也确实会感到疲惫。如果成天躺着或坐着我就会生病，所以我在努力活动。”加西亚头戴标志性的牛仔帽，身穿标志性的西部风格衬衫，如是说道。

“我觉得自己像是80岁的人——不过走路开始有点儿不稳了。”他在接受法新社采访时表示。

一生中，加西亚经历了令人眼花缭乱的纷繁历史。从电力的问世，到电视机的发明、墨西哥革命及特朗普当选——这是他见证的第22位美国总统了。

9岁起，他就开始到田里干活了。

他父亲是一位自产自销的糖果商人，35岁便去世了。加西亚说，想起英年早逝的父亲，他至今仍会悲伤。

他本人直到45岁才结婚，妻子罗莎·梅迪诺当时年仅13岁。

两人育有5个子女，膝下共有15个孙辈和6个重孙。他们的婚姻延续了将近70年，直到罗莎8年前去世。

妻子去世后，加西亚便搬到了北方的华雷斯城，与当时54岁的女儿托马萨同住。

托马萨女儿一家就住在隔壁，另一位美国邻居则同意加西亚在他家的大露台上养鸡。

加西亚说，照顾这些鸡崽帮助他保持了活力。他希望自己能多多劳动。

“我想像从前一样种地谋生，但再也不行了。这让我很难过。我年轻时很勤劳。”他说。

那么，加西亚是世界上最年长的男性吗？

吉尼斯世界纪录发言人爱丽丝·帕甘表示，加西亚必须要求吉尼斯公司核查才行。

“我们要求提交大量文件和证据来证实那些申请符合官方指南。我们也与多位老年医学专家和顾问合作，请他们协助调查这类申请。”她在邮件中向法新社表示。

如果加西亚真的有121岁，根据吉尼斯世界纪录，他就不仅仅是在世的最年长男性，而是整个人类史上最年长的男性——他将超过日本人次郎右卫门，后者于2013年以116岁高龄去世。

迄今为止，史上最长寿的女性是法国人让娜·路易丝·卡尔芒，她于1997年亡故，在世122岁164天。

加西亚因年长而皮肤遍布褶皱。他80岁时还因被套索缠绕而断了一根手指——这是自古以来牛仔的职业战伤。

但他依然十分健康：不仅走路快得惊人，而且3年前做过白内障手术后一直视力良好，不过眼睛不能看阳光;另外，他的思维也很敏捷。

他说希望能活到125岁。

他表示，长寿的关键在于睡眠良好、早起、饮食健康、摄入维生素和工作。

他每天早晨5点半起床，享用香蕉苹果思慕雪、燕麦和两个鸡蛋，以此开启新的一天。然后，他就出门去照看鸡崽。

“我祈求上帝多给他一些年月，让他活到尽兴。”他的女儿托马萨说。

“有时候他说感觉自己的能量在一点点耗尽，但我不这样认为。他还充满着活力，对此我也很高兴。”

（译者单位：复旦大学）