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Han and Tibetan People of Same Origin: Research
A latest research on Man's chromosome Y further proved an earlier theory that China's modern Han and Tibetan people are of the same origin.
More than ten scientists, both Chinese and foreign, from Fudan University, Yunnan University, Harvard, Stanford and some others took part in the research. Through a comparison of the chromosome Y of Hans in 22 Chinese cities and provinces with that of Tibetans in Yunnan, Tibet and Qinghai they found that the two ethnic people share the same special chromosome Y, a type rarely detected on other peoples throughout the world.
Chromosome Y is a kind of sex chromosome inherited in a patrilineal way, which never regroups during inheriting process. So it is able to provide steady and rich data on human being's inheritance. A study on it, therefore, serves to directly reveal the origin and evolution of human race.
At the beginning of the 80s, scientists found out that modern Han and Tibetan people were much similar in inheriting features as blood type, protein and so on. Basing themselves on this, they conclude that there must be the same ancestry the two ethnic nationalities have come to share.
Linguistic studies also give their support to the theory. Linguists found out quite early Chinese and Tibetan languages bear much similarity in vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation, hence the Sino-Tibetan, world second language family containing 360 different languages and further divided into Chinese and Tibetan-Burmese branches used by most ethnic minorities in Tibet and Yunnan Province.
After research on the chromosome Y of Sino-Tibetan people in China, Burma, Thailand and India, scientists further found out Tibetan-Burmese and Chinese peoples began to be separated from each other around 6000 to 10000 years ago in north China. Ancient Tibetan-Burmese people moved southward from the upper and middle reaches of the Yellow River, and part of them entered Yunan, southern Tibet, southeast and south Asia to become the ancestors of today's Sino-Tibetan people living there. While the other part, after being mixed with central Asian people, turned out to be the ancestors of today's Tibetans.
This, in a view of molecular genetics, has proved the fact that modern Han and Tibetan people are of the same origin providing direct evidence to earlier theory, experts said.
By PD Online staff Li Heng
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