Author: Bobo Huang
Date: 12-22-04 02:19
I think all these arguments on (Han) Chinese origin are avoidable. Historical records, including ethnic demographic history, are likely to be some times imprecise and inconclusive. This leads to much controversy and speculations. Paleoanthropology offers some insight and genealogy can contribute. But, as genetics and paleo-genetics can provide more accurate answers, these should be the main focus. This is not to negate others as mentioned. They are still relevant to compliment the genetic analysis.
For example, in appearance or morphologically, most of the Brazillians dont look like the Native American (Indian). Genetic analysis reveals something quite different. The indigenous mitrochrondial DNA (female lineage) contribution to the Brazillian population varies from 11% to 59%. Even in some of the upper echelon of the supposedly more homogenous Whites, it reaches as high as 33%. (Ref.1). A corollary study with DNA from the Y chromosome (male lineage) of Columbian Mestizos pointed to a figure of about 2 %.(Ref 2) This means historically it was mainly the European and to a much smaller extent African males who mated with the indigenous women to produce the current Brazillian population. It strongly indicated that, in consistent with history, large numbers of the indigenous males were enslaved and worked to death/killed. And the excess native women were taken advantage by the predominantly male European immigrants/invaders. It was also possible that the native women preferred male European for survival reasons. This contradicts the current academic apology that depopulation of the natives was the result of diseases or lack of immunity to introduced diseases. Diseases do not discriminate (whether you are male or female).
This aside, there are now enough genetic studies to answer this question about (Han) Chinese origin. Perhaps, if all the Chinese ethnic groups are to be considered, more comprehensive and representative data are needed. However, over the past few years, the Chinese genome project set up by Stanford University and several Chinese Universities (Fudan University, etc.) has done enough research to yield some results. (Ref 3)
Basically, genetic studies on Chinese, inclusive of many main ethnic groups, conclude that there are no European/Caucasoid genes in the Han Chinese. It is easier and more definite to disprove substantial Caucasoid genetic component in all Han Chinese. Also if there is any truth that there is Caucasoid origin to Chinese, then significant amount of Caucasoid mitochrondia DNA (female line) and Y chromosomal DNA (male line) has to be present in all the Han Chinese. Even in the Uyghurs, the population only possesses about 25 % identifiable Central Asian (more Turkish, not exactly European) genetic markers.( Ref 3). The rest of their genetic markers are more related to Northern Chinese/East Asian. This demonstrates that it is more plausible to make a case that there were migrations outward from central/north China rather than Central Asian infusion.(Ref 4,5)
In reality, the analysis of the genetic component of the Han and its mainly Asian minorities is more complex. This is because genetically, the Asian minorities (eg Tibetan) are more related to the Han than the Caucasian or other minorities (eg.Kazaks) that have significant amount of Central Asian genes. To track down the more closely related ethnic groups, more samples (larger number of people from each group) and genetic markers have to be analysed to reveal the minor differences. This is simply because it is harder to differentiate individuals who are more alike genetically. Besides, interbreeding over the years further compromised the differences and so complicated the picture. (Ref 4,5)
The following references used for this posting are available from website like www.genetics.org Reasonable knowledge in genetics is required to read and understand them.
Ref 1. Am. J. Hum. Genet., 67:444-461, 2000
The Ancestry of Brazilian mtDNA Lineages
Juliana Alves-Silva,1 Magda da Silva Santos,1 Pedro E. M. Guimares,1 Alessandro C. S. Ferreira,1 Hans-Jrgen Bandelt,2 Srgio D. J. Pena,1 and Vania Ferreira Prado1
1Departamento de Bioqumica e Imunologia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte-MG, Brazil; and 2 Fachbereich Mathematik, Universitt Hamburg, Hamburg
Ref 2. Strong Amerind/white sex bias and a possible Sephardic contribution among the founders of a population in northwest Colombia.
Carvajal-Carmona LG, Soto ID, Pineda N, Ortiz-Barrientos D, Duque C, Ospina-Duque J, McCarthy M, Montoya P, Alvarez VM, Bedoya G, Ruiz-Linares A.
Laboratorio de Genetica Molecular, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellin, Colombia.
Ref 3. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA
Vol. 95, pp. 1150111503, September 1998
Commentary
The Chinese Human Genome Diversity Project
L. Luca Cavalli-Sforza
Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305
Ref 4. Y-Chromosome Evidence for a Northward Migration of Modern Humans into Eastern Asia during the Last Ice Age
Bing Su,1 Junhua Xiao,2 Peter Underhill,5 Ranjan Deka,7 Weiling Zhang,2 Joshua Akey,1
Wei Huang,3,4 Di Shen,1 Daru Lu,2 Jingchun Luo,2 Jiayou Chu,8 Jiazhen Tan,2 Peidong Shen,5
Ron Davis,5,6 Luca Cavalli-Sforza,5 Ranajit Chakraborty,1 Momiao Xiong,1 Ruofu Du,9
Peter Oefner,5,6 Zhu Chen,3,4 and Li Jin1,2,3
1Human Genetics Center, University of Texas-Houston, Houston; 2Morgan-Tan International Center for Life Sciences and Institute of Genetics,
Fudan University, 3National Human Genome Center at Shanghai, and 4Rui-Jin Hospital, Shanghai Second Medical University, Shanghai;
5Department of Genetics, Stanford University, and 6Stanford DNA Sequencing and Technology Center, Palo Alto; 7Department of
Environmental Health, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati; 8Institute of Medical Biology, The Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences,
Kunming, Yunnan, China; and 9Institute of Genetics, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing
Ref 5. Genetic Structure of the Chinese Populations
1,2Lin He, 1,2YongYong Shi, 1,2XinZhi Zhao, 1,2Lan Yu, 1,2Ran Tao, 1,2JunXia Tang, 1,2Changshun Zhang, 1,2Bo Gao, 1,2Gang Chen, 1,2GuoYin Feng, 1,2YuJuan La
1Bio-X Life Science Research Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 1954 Hua Shan Road, Shanghai 200030, China, 2Shanghai Research Center of Life Sciences, 320 Yue Yang Road, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
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