In a first, DNA from Silk Road reveals ancient China's multiracial past

In a study, Chinese scientists have uncovered the initial genetic evidence of a multiracial population in ancient China by examining DNA from remains discovered at a pivotal junction along the Silk Road.

Using advanced palaeogenomic techniques, researchers identified two individuals with East-West admixture, revealing the intermingling of genetically distinct groups in the ancient city of Dunhuang.

One of the individuals, hailing from the Cao-Wei dynasty (220-265 AD), exhibited West Eurasian genetic components reaching as high as 30 percent.

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Meanwhile, a person from the Tang dynasty (618-907 AD) displayed an even more pronounced West Eurasian genetic component, accounting for up to half of their genome.

Surprisingly, both cases indicated that it was the mother who originated from the West, challenging previous assumptions and suggesting a pattern of local men forming unions with "exotic" women from the West, colloquially known as "Hu Ji" in Chinese classical literature.

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Wen Shaoqing, an associate professor at Fudan University in Shanghai and a study author, reportedly stressed the limitations in precisely pinpointing the place of Western origin with the available genome information.

Instead, the study broadened the scope, defining the West as the region west of Central Asia in the Eurasian continent, while the East referred to East Asia.

Dunhuang, situated in the Hexi Corridor in modern-day Gansu province, served as a crucial intersection on the ancient Silk Road, fostering cross-continental material and cultural exchange.

The study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Science Bulletin on December 16, reflected a joint effort by researchers from Fudan University, Xiamen University, and the Gansu Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology.

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Jin Xin, deputy director of the Institute of Precision Health Research at BGl-Research, commended the study, stating, "This is an interesting study that fills the knowledge gap."

The research also threw light on the Hexi Corridor's role at the forefront of China's interactions with world civilisations during that era.

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Wen and his team analysed the genomic data of 30 individuals from different periods in the Hexi Corridor, uncovering a population admixture dating back to 600-1000 years ago, coinciding with the expansion of the Mongol Empire.

(With inputs from agencies)