The New Moon on January 29th ushers in the Chinese New Year, symbolizing the end of winter and the arrival of spring in China. To celebrate, we have added 56 new individuals from three recent studies of ancient China to the Historical MatchesTM feature, a 23andMe+ Premium® membership feature.
Genomic Transformations in Shandong Province Throughout Time
Two of the newly added studies focus on the ancient inhabitants of Shandong Province, located in the easternmost reaches of the Yellow River Basin. This region is considered a cradle of ancient Chinese civilization, partly due to its role in the independent domestication of millet during the Neolithic Houli Period (circa 6500 – 5500 BCE). Around 4,000 years ago, Shandong transitioned into its dynastic era with the establishment of the legendary Xia dynasty (circa 2070 – 1600 BCE).
In 2024, researchers published two genetic studies on the ancient inhabitants of Shandong Province to better understand the demographic shifts in the region over the past 6,000 years. The first study analyzed the genomes of 69 individuals who lived in the region between the Late Neolithic period (circa 5,500 BCE) and the Tang Dynasty (618 – 907 CE). The second study focused on 21 individuals who lived in Shandong between the Warring States Period (475 – 221 BCE) and the Jin (1115 – 1234 CE) and Yuan (1271 – 1368 CE) Dynasties.
These studies revealed that during the Dawenkou period (c. 4300 – 2500 BCE), populations related to Yellow River farmers from Central China (who themselves had some Southern Chinese-related ancestry) migrated to Shandong and intermingled with local groups. Later, during the Shang (c. 1600 – 1046 BCE) and Zhou (c. 1046 – 256 BCE) Dynasties, the region experienced an additional influx of ancestry from populations from the Central Plains. By the Han Dynasty, the ancestry of Shandong’s inhabitants began to resemble that of the present-day inhabitants of the region.
The Ancient City of Chang’an During the Tang Dynasty
The third study we are featuring this month investigates the genetic impact of long distance trade along the Silk Road on the inhabitants of the ancient city of Chang’an (now known as Xi’an). Located at the eastern end of the Silk Road, Chang’an was one of the most influential cities in ancient China’s history. As the capital of several prominent dynasties, including the Qin (221 – 206 BCE), Western Han (206 BCE – 9 CE), and Tang (618 – 907 CE) Dynasties, Chang’an served as a political and cultural hub. Its key position at the end of the Silk Road meant that Chang’an played a central role in facilitating trade and the exchange of ideas between China, Central Asia, the Middle East and Europe. During the Tang dynasty, the city flourished, reaching a population of over one million at its peak
Learn More
You can learn more about these chapters in ancient China’s history and discover whether you share distant genetic connections with the newly added historical individuals from ancient China—or with hundreds of other historical individuals—through the Historical MatchesTM feature, available with our 23andMe+® Premium membership.
