Year: 1918
Type: article
Abstract: If by "Chinese" we mean the inhabitants of China, then we have more than one race origin to trace, for the population of China is very complex.We have there not only the five peoples symbolized by the five-barred flag-the Chinese, Manchus, Mongols, Turki, and Tibetan -but there are also t'he numerous indigenous tribes still maintaining more or less their separate ancient organizations, such as the Miao, the Lolos, who are said by Richard to be Indo-European,' the Man-tzu, the Shan, the Sifan, the Lisu, and the Musu with many others in southwest China, and the Tunguses, Daours, Solons, Koreans, Buriats and Orotchis or Fish-skin Tartars in the northeastern parts of the country.We can not ignore these tribes, but this paper is particularly meant to discuss the origin of that element of the population which constitutes the principal stock of China, which is distinguished from all other elements as the real Chinese strain, that which anciently subdued and to a large extent absorbed the indigenous tribes, and which gaye character to the civilization which was developed, if it did not originate in the region which we call China.Whence came this virile people which at so early a period of the world's history developed such a high form of civilization and which imposed its culture upon the entire eastern half of Asia; which not only gave law, religion, letters, and art to the land we call China, but art and architecture, literature, law and religion to Japan and Korea, and in a large degree also to Manchuria, Mongolia, Burmah, Siam and Annam?And what were they from the standpoint of physical anthropology?Dr. Frederick Hirth, of Columbia University, rejects the theory of a foreign origin of the Chinese with the statement
Author: E. T. Williams
Institution: United States Department of State
Language: English
Subfield: Genetics
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W1985330348