Meet Wang Dinggao, a 106-year-old in Rui'an, Zhejiang, who sleeps at 4pm, wakes at 1am, still sews and cooks, and shared an 80-year marriage until his wife's death in 2026.
Tags:Wang Dinggao lives in Matu Village, Ma’yu Town, Rui’an, Zhejiang province, in eastern China. He is 106 years old by conventional age counting, although he describes himself as 107 under the traditional Chinese age system.
Apart from some hearing loss, his memory remains clear and he can still take care of himself in many areas of daily life.
His unusual daily routine has attracted a lot of attention.
Wang normally goes to sleep at around 4 or 5pm and wakes at about 1am. After waking up, he may watch television for a while. He eats breakfast at around 3am and then goes outside for his morning walk.
He eats lunch at around 9am, rests for a while, then has dinner at approximately 3:30pm before going to sleep again.
His son, Wang Yangqing, has adapted his own routine to his father’s lifestyle. He reportedly wakes up at around 2:30am every day so that breakfast can be ready for his father at 3am.
The family has chosen not to force Wang to follow a normal sleeping schedule because this has been his preferred lifestyle for a long time.
𧡠He still washes clothes, bathes and sews
Despite being 106, Wang remains surprisingly independent.
He washes his own clothes, takes his own baths and helps clean around the home.
He can also still thread a needle by himself and knows how to sew.
Wang previously used a sewing machine to repair clothing, although his old machine is now broken.
During a reporter's visit, he reportedly walked up three floors without assistance and did not appear seriously out of breath.
He also continues to walk around his village and sometimes visits the local elderly association to talk with neighbours.
π³ He became a skilled cook despite limited education
Wang only attended school for around four years.
However, his family says he has always been curious and enjoyed learning practical skills.
When he was young, whenever someone in the village held a wedding or celebration, Wang would stand near the kitchen and watch experienced cooks prepare the food.
He would carefully observe what they were doing and later try to reproduce it himself.
He learned cooking, bamboo weaving and traditional rice dough modelling.
Eventually, Wang became very skilled at cooking.
Families from his own village and surrounding villages began asking him to prepare food for weddings and other large celebrations.
He was capable of preparing food for more than a dozen tables of guests at the same time and continued helping with large community meals until he was in his seventies.
His son still keeps two bamboo baskets made by Wang around 50 years ago.
At home, Wang also did most of the cooking.
He joked that his wife rarely needed to cook because he handled almost everything in the kitchen.
❤️ His marriage lasted around 80 years
Wang's wife was named Hong Ailan.
The couple were introduced through a matchmaker and married in 1945.
Wang was approximately 26 years old and Hong was around 20.
They remained together for roughly 80 years and were regarded locally as a model couple.
Their personalities were very different.
According to their son, Hong had a stronger temper while Wang was extremely calm.
Whenever his wife became angry, Wang would not immediately argue with her.
Instead, he would prepare a cup of warm water and give it to her.
He would jokingly tell her that she must be thirsty and should drink some water before continuing to be angry.
After she drank some, Wang would sometimes drink the rest and joke that water his wife had already tasted was sweet. ❤️
Their relationship became so respected that when other married couples in their neighbourhood argued, people sometimes asked Wang and Hong to help them resolve their disputes.
π His wife died in 2026
Hong lived to approximately 100 years old.
She died earlier in 2026, around the first month of the Chinese lunar calendar.
Her death deeply affected Wang.
According to their son, Wang became much quieter after she died and, for a period, even appeared to have more difficulty walking.
His son began spending more time with him to provide companionship.
Many reminders of Hong are still present inside their home.
For example, ropes and handrails that she helped install remain beside the staircase.
The couple had added them as they grew older to make walking around the house safer.
When reporters showed Wang an old newspaper photograph of himself and his wife holding an award from a local longevity association, he could still clearly remember the occasion.
π¦ What does Wang eat?
There does not appear to be any unusual secret diet behind his long life.
According to his son, Wang eats normal meals containing vegetables and meat.
He particularly enjoys seafood and river crab.
Father and son also occasionally drink a small amount of baijiu, a traditional Chinese spirit, during meals.
There is therefore no evidence that Wang follows a special longevity diet.
πΏ What does his family believe helped him live so long?
When Wang was asked about his longevity, he said he had generally enjoyed good health throughout his life.
He also said that having his family around him was one of his greatest blessings.
His son believes several factors may have contributed to his father's long life.
Wang has always maintained a positive attitude, lived in a peaceful family environment, stayed physically active and continued learning new skills throughout his life.
His son also described him as someone who did not spend much time worrying about personal gains or losses.
He simply liked keeping himself busy.
The most interesting part of Wang's story is therefore not simply that he sleeps at 4 or 5pm and wakes at 1am.
It is that even after more than a century of life, he continues to walk, look after himself, remain curious and stay connected to his family.
His unusual sleep schedule, favourite foods and occasional baijiu should not be considered proven explanations for his longevity.
They are simply parts of the lifestyle of one remarkable 106 year old man.
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