Today Wetall takes you through the life of the tallest woman ever to have walked this earth we know of today and why she could have surpassed even the tallest man in recorded history.
Who was Zeng Jinlian?
Zeng Jinlian was born in the People’s Republic of China, in Yujiang in Hunan Province, on June 26, 1964. She passed away on February 13, 1982 at just 17 years old, still growing at the time of her death. Due to severe scoliosis, she was no longer able to stand upright and used a wheelchair to get around.
At just 18 months old, she could already lift 50 lbs (23 kg), which is like a full bag of cement.
Her parents were of modest height: her mother stood 5 ft 4 in (1.63 m) and her father 5 ft 1 in (1.56 m). Her three brothers and sister were all of normal height at around 5 ft 2 in (1.58 m).
At the time of her death, she weighed 324 lbs (147 kg).
Her hands measured 10 inches (25.5 cm) and her feet 14 inches (35.5 cm), a women’s US shoe size 26. If Wetall had existed back then, she would have had a hard time finding wide shoes in her size!
She had a pituitary tumor that triggered her gigantism. Her doctors recommended radiation treatment, but she consistently refused. She didn’t want to lose her hair!
How tall was Zeng Jinlian?
Zeng Jinlian stood 8 ft 2 in (2.48 m) at the time of her death. She is the only woman in history to have surpassed 8 ft (2.43 m), out of only 12 people total ever recorded above that mark.
At the time, she was the tallest living person on the planet.
Had she not passed away at 17, she would almost certainly have grown taller than the tallest man in recorded history: Robert Wadlow, who stood 8 ft 11 in (2.72 m) before his death at age 22, also still growing at the time.
What makes the case compelling is that Jinlian was actually taller than Wadlow at the exact same age of 17. Here’s a side-by-side comparison of their growth trajectories:
| Age | Zeng Jinlian | Robert Wadlow |
| 4 years old | 5 ft 1 in (1.56 m) | 5 ft 3 in (1.60 m) |
| 13 years old | 7 ft 1 in (2.17 m) | 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) |
| 16 years old | 7 ft 10½ in (2.40 m) | 7 ft 10½ in (2.40 m) |
| 17 years old | 8 ft 1 in (2.46 m) | 8 ft 0½ in (2.45 m) |
The tallest person in human history could very well have been a woman.
How did Zeng Jinlian die?
Jinlian died from complications related to diabetes. She was 17 years old.
Her gigantism and scoliosis did nothing to help her already fragile medical situation nor did the state of healthcare in China at that time.
Photos of Zeng Jinlian:
