The Forgotten People
The African Origins of China
By: Lauren K. Clark
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China is one of the few countries which preserved traditional and ancient aspects of their culture. From the Great Wall of China to other impressive types of architecture, China has a history of advanced culture and civilization.Â
However, there are missing aspects of the Chinese history that has not been acknowledged. Prior to the emergence of the Mongoloid people, China was dominated by people of the African continent. These people arrived to China from West Africa, through the great civilizations in North Africa known as Khem and Kush.Â
To prove that the ancestors of the current Chinese population were of African origin, three areas of study will be focused on. The first area of study will be based on scientific evidence and reports of various recent genetic experiments. This particular aspect is a collection of information from various scientists and researchers, who come from areas all over the world. This purpose of having a diverse group of experiments will eradicate any evidence of bias.Â
The second area of study focuses on the different kingdoms that were ruled by African people during ancient China. These findings are based on the research of archaeologists and anthropologists who have found various cultural artifacts, and skeletal evidence such as human skills, to prove the early existence of African people in China.
The final area of study deals with linguistics evidence, cultural innovations, and various medicinal practices extant in China but which have origins within African culture.
Recent scientific studies have uncovered strong evidence that the first East Asians, particularly in the region that is now known as China, were of African descent.
In an article posted by the AAAS Science Magazine, entitled “African Origin of Modern Humans in East Asia: A Tale of 12,000 Y Chromosomes, 23 scientists (with 13 of them being of Asian descent) tested “the hypothesis of modern human origin in East Asia. Â
The participating geneticists studied the genes of 12,127 East Asian male individuals from 163 different segment of the East Asian population. The male Y chromosome was utilized to “type†for three different Y chromosome biallelic markers. The three identified markers were the YAP, M89, and M130. The 12,127 male individuals had a mutation “at one of these three sites†of the Y chromosome genetic material or DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid).Â
However another mutation known as M168T is the ascendant of the three identified East Asian male genetic markers. This particular mutation, the M168T arose in the African continent approximately 35,000 to 89,000 years prior to this current date. The M168T, overtime, diverged into the three mutations that were present in the Y chromosome biallelic markers in the male Asian participants.
This finding indicates that the YAP+, M89T, and M130T East Asian mutations originated from the M168T mutation that arose in Africa. This categorically proves that it is not genetically possible for the current East Asian population to have phenotypically contributed to the original (or first) inhabitants of East Asia.Â
A second experiment that was published by the Los Angeles Times of September 29, 1998 was undertaken by the Chinese Human Genome Diversity Project which is comprised of “seven major research groups in the People’s Republic of China, and the Human Genetics Center at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. The finances of this project were provided by the National Natural Science Foundation of China.
The Chinese Human Genome Project utilized the DNA of China’s 28 identified ethnic groups. The selection of these certain groups was very strategic in that these groups account for over 90% of China’s overall population-thus creating a widely diverse representative group of participants.Â
In order to analyze and study the genetic origins of this large population, the scientists in this study relied on a set of genetic markers called microsatellites. The chemical composition of these markers are such “That allows scientists to use them as signposts to mark how population diverged or merged over time, reconstructing their evolutionary journey through time and across the continents to their contemporary abodes.â€Â
The researchers identified 30 microsatellites markers within the genetic material across the 28 selected ethnic groups in China. The pattern of the microsatellite markers were then used to compare patterns of 11 non-Chinese groups around the world.Â
The result of the study indicated that the northern and southern Chinese combine into “distinct regional genetic populations†and that both have inherited traits that all come from one original ancestor.
Based on the study, geneticist concluded that all of the different groups within China descend from a common ancestor that “migrated†from the south into China. The region of the south reference appears strongly to have been Africa. According to the researchers “it is now probably safe to conclude that modern humans originating in African constitute that majority of the current gene pool in East Asia.â€
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One final study was done by a genetic research team of Fudan University in Shanghai, China that was led by Dr. Jin Lin. The purpose of this research was to verify whether the Chinese people originated from early humans that came from East Africa or from the “Peking Man†of northern China. The theory of the “Peking Man†was a speculative racist theory which tried to argue that the European and Asian humans evolved from different specie of primates than the Africans.
Based on research this study of more than 100,000 DNA samples from people all over the world, Dr. Jin concluded that all human beings originated from a common, “single origin, not multiple origins as some experts believe.†That origin is Africa and that original humanity is the Black African. These African individuals are believed to have settled in China approximately 100,000 years ago. Â
References
“African Origin of Modern Humans In East Asia: A Tale of 12,000 Y Chromosomes.†Science AAAS Magazine. Vol. 292. No.5519.  May 11, 2001. pgs. 1151-1153
Holts, Robert Lee. “Chinese Roots Lie in Africa, Research Says.†Los Angeles Times. Times Mirror Company. September 29, 1998.
 “Chinese come from Africa, just like the rest of us.†The Taipei Times. CNA Hong Kong. May 12, 2005. 1999-2005
Like the article about Thomas Jefferson having African heritage, this article truly amazes me. The advanced technology we have today is unbelieveable. Reading an article like this really is interesting to know that there used to be Africans living in China.
Wow, very interesting!! I think that science is very important because without it we probably wouldn’t be able to determine this kind of history. I had no idea that there were African people living in China.
The fact that african people living in china was rather interesting and to my knowledge science is rather needed in life
I have always thought about my whole life how people maintain different colors and differen complexions even different facial features. It amazes me how we can travel in to different parts of the region and find different people but what strikes me the most is if people migrated in many parts of the world,why s there still different colors in particular parts of the world?
It was pretty cool about the genetics project with DNA and the samples they used
This article was particular intriguing because it focused on the fact that scientific technology has extreme pull in identifying the common origin of people. It makes me believe that there is nothing in this current society that can be left unknown.
Asian should embrace their African roots, perhaps there can be huge gains in acknowledging these important origin facts for our society as a whole.
I once read somewhere that the humans orginated in Africa but didn’t know that there was actual evidence of this. Who would ever have thought that people in East Asia are descendants of Africans.