Cantonese (Guangdong Han) DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · China · East Asia
Cantonese, or Yue, is the Chinese language of Guangdong and Guangxi, Hong Kong and Macau, and of many overseas communities. The region, known historically as Lingnan, was home to peoples the Chinese sources called the Baiyue before the Qin empire conquered it in the late 3rd century BC, and settlers from the north kept arriving over the next two thousand years. This page uses the Guangdong Han average, which in our model is 54.6% East Asian, measured with a northern Han reference from Beijing, and 45.4% Southern Chinese Neolithic farmer. That southern share is much higher than in the Fujian Han (Hokkien) average (28.9%). The closest modern averages are Miao and Dong samples from Guangxi and Guizhou and a Vietnamese sample, at 0.0141 to 0.0173, closer than other southern Han samples (0.0186 and 0.0191). The closest ancient groups are Ming-era people from Baitaishan and Huatudong in Guangxi (0.0302 and 0.0305).
- Ancient components in our model: East Asian 54.6%, Southern Chinese Neolithic farmers 45.4%
- Closest modern population in our data: Miao (Guangxi Guilin Ziyuan), distance 0.0141
- Closest ancient group in our data: China Guangxi HP Late Yuan-Ming Dynasty Baitaishan, distance 0.0302
Where does Cantonese (Guangdong Han) DNA sit on the genetic map of the world? To answer, we take the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of the Cantonese (Guangdong Han) individuals sampled in China, listed in the G25 sheet as "Han_Guangdong" and compare them with deep ancestral reference populations, with other modern groups and with ancient genomes. It is one of 335 populations in our atlas.
Ancient make-up of the Cantonese (Guangdong Han) average
The ancient make-up of the Cantonese (Guangdong Han) average is led by East Asian (54.6%), followed by Southern Chinese Neolithic farmers (45.4%). The East Asian component reflects ancestry most common today in East Asia. The Southern Chinese Neolithic farmers share (45.4%) reflects the Neolithic rice and millet farmers of southern China, whose descendants spread into Southeast Asia.
The fit is acceptable (fit distance 0.034): treat the proportions as a good approximation rather than exact values. This population was modelled with a global set of reference populations (ancient genomes, plus modern stand-ins where no suitable ancient genome exists), because West Eurasian sources alone cannot describe it.
Fenghuang – Sinosphere Report
Closest modern populations to Cantonese (Guangdong Han)
Genetically, the Cantonese (Guangdong Han) average sits nearest to Miao (Guangxi Guilin Ziyuan) at 0.014, Dong (Guizhou Congjiang) at 0.017 and Vietnamese (Dong Profile) at 0.017. On our scale, a distance of 0.014 counts as very close. Even the tenth closest, Hmong (Thailand), is only 0.021 away: Cantonese (Guangdong Han) belongs to a dense cluster of related populations, so small differences inside that cluster should not be over-interpreted.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Miao (Guangxi Guilin Ziyuan) | 0.0141 | Very close |
| 2 | Dong (Guizhou Congjiang) | 0.0165 | Very close |
| 3 | Vietnamese (Dong Profile) | 0.0173 | Very close |
| 4 | Dong (Guizhou Tongren) | 0.0175 | Very close |
| 5 | Qiang (Guizou Tongren Jiangkou) | 0.0176 | Very close |
| 6 | Dong (Hunan) | 0.0183 | Very close |
| 7 | Han (Guangxi Tianlin) | 0.0186 | Very close |
| 8 | Han (Guangdong Maoming) | 0.0191 | Very close |
| 9 | Tujia (Guizou Tongren Jiangkou) | 0.0195 | Very close |
| 10 | Hmong (Thailand) | 0.0209 | Very close |
Distances are Euclidean distances between averaged G25 coordinates. On our scale, below 0.025 is very close, below 0.050 close, below 0.080 moderate, and beyond that distant.
Closest ancient populations to Cantonese (Guangdong Han)
Looking back in time, the ancient sample that most resembles the Cantonese (Guangdong Han) average is China Guangxi HP Late Yuan-Ming Dynasty Baitaishan (Ming dynasty, 1368-1644 AD), at 0.030. China Guangxi HP Late Yuan-Ming Dynasty Huatudong and China Guangxi HP Ming Dynasty Genggaishan come next. That is a close match: much of the modern profile was already present then, while later movements of people added further layers. A close ancient match is not proof of direct descent: it means those individuals carried a similar overall mix of ancestry.
| # | Ancient sample or group | Period | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China Guangxi HP Late Yuan-Ming Dynasty Baitaishan | Ming dynasty, 1368-1644 AD | 0.0302 |
| 2 | China Guangxi HP Late Yuan-Ming Dynasty Huatudong | Ming dynasty, 1368-1644 AD | 0.0305 |
| 3 | China Guangxi HP Ming Dynasty Genggaishan | Ming dynasty, 1368-1644 AD | 0.0324 |
| 4 | China Huaqiao 400BP | c. 1550 AD | 0.0328 |
| 5 | China Henan HP Ming-Qing Dynasty Lusixi | Qing dynasty, 1644-1912 AD | 0.0355 |
| 6 | China Guangxi HP Ming Dynasty Huatuyan | Ming dynasty, 1368-1644 AD | 0.0373 |
| 7 | China Huatuyan 400BP | c. 1550 AD | 0.0416 |
| 8 | China Guizhou HP Song-Ming Dynasty Songshan | Ming dynasty, 1368-1644 AD | 0.0417 |
| 9 | China Guizhou HP Ming Dynasty Songshan | Ming dynasty, 1368-1644 AD | 0.0419 |
| 10 | China Chuanyun Historic | Historical period | 0.0423 |
Ancient DNA from China
Our ancient DNA database holds 2,865 individuals excavated in present-day China, dated from about 100,550 BC to 1823 AD. The most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups among them are O2a (168), C2b (74) and N1b (59), and the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups are D4 (208), C4 (121) and B4 (72). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's Cantonese (Guangdong Han) population.
Most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups
Most frequent mtDNA haplogroups
| Haplogroup | Individuals | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| D4 | 208 | NE34 NE-5 NE5_AmurRiver |
| C4 | 121 | WQM4 NE9 NE-9 |
| B4 | 72 | Tianyuan BS Dushan4-1 |
| F1 | 68 | NE19 WGM35 18R21265 |
| D5 | 50 | BLSM14 BLSM27S BLSM45 |
| U5 | 49 | NLKG218_M5-1 G218M5-3N C3340 |
| G2 | 45 | NE56 JZ24089582-C24-22 S96 |
| A | 35 | M89_Houtaomuga JZ24089566-C8-28 ZJG7 |
Ancient DNA studies on China
- Ancient DNA unveils distinctive ancestries in the Bronze and Iron Ages of East Tianshan (2026)
- Ancient DNA unveils distinctive ancestries in the Bronze and Iron Ages of East Tianshan (2026)
- Genomic characterization of historical Jinlingnan individuals: insights into genetic continuity and trans-Eurasian signals in eastern China (2026)
- Go north: Isotope and aDNA analysis reconstructing the life history of a first-generation immigrant in the early Western Zhou Yan state (2026)
- A prehistoric East-Asian Yersinia pestis genome and a ~5.3 ka trans-Eurasian expansion of plague (2026)
- Genomic signatures of female exogamy and cultural interaction in a Tang Dynasty patrilineal clan (2026)
- Genetic continuity and dietary change during the emergence of millet farming in northern China (2026)
- Genetic continuity and dietary change during the emergence of millet farming in northern China (2026)
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 2,865 from China.
Compare yourself with Cantonese (Guangdong Han)
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Cantonese (Guangdong Han) average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Cantonese (Guangdong Han) and its neighbours. To find out which of our reports actually fits your DNA, run the free Report Finder: it runs the same fit test that every report uses before an order.
No G25 coordinates yet? Get a free simulated G25 from your raw DNA file, or order G25 coordinates.
About these numbers
A word of caution: these figures describe the average of the Cantonese (Guangdong Han) individuals who were sampled, not every person who identifies as Cantonese (Guangdong Han). Individuals vary around that average, and identity is about history, language and family, not about a genetic score. Read this page as a map of deep ancestry, not as a definition.
Method: averaged G25 coordinates, Euclidean distances to other modern and ancient averages, and a non-negative least-squares model against deep ancestral reference populations (data generated 2026-10-01). Read the full method.
Go deeper than the average
This page describes the Cantonese (Guangdong Han) average. Your own DNA has its own story: Fenghuang – Sinosphere Report (15€) models your genome against the ancient sources and modern communities of the region, era by era, in a personal PDF report.
A report built for people of Sinosphere / East Asian ancestry: ancient regional core (Yellow & Yangtze River Neolithic, Erlitou/Shang/Zhou dynasties, Han Dynasty, Yayoi migration, Tang Dynasty, Manchu/Qing era) versus non-regional outside...
More populations from East Asia
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Cantonese (Guangdong Han)?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Cantonese (Guangdong Han) average is about 54.6% East Asian and 45.4% Southern Chinese Neolithic farmers. These proportions are model estimates for a group average, not exact values for any one person.
Which populations are genetically closest to Cantonese (Guangdong Han)?
In the G25 data, the closest modern populations to the Cantonese (Guangdong Han) average are Miao (Guangxi Guilin Ziyuan), Dong (Guizhou Congjiang) and Vietnamese (Dong Profile). The closest ancient matches are China Guangxi HP Late Yuan-Ming Dynasty Baitaishan, China Guangxi HP Late Yuan-Ming Dynasty Huatudong and China Guangxi HP Ming Dynasty Genggaishan.
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Cantonese (Guangdong Han)?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Cantonese (Guangdong Han) average and to its neighbours. If you have G25 coordinates, paste them in the comparison box on this page to check that for free.
Which ExploreYourDNA report suits Cantonese (Guangdong Han) ancestry?
For the Cantonese (Guangdong Han) average, the regional report to choose is Fenghuang – Sinosphere Report, which our fit test rates as a good match. Your own DNA may differ from the average, so the free Report Finder checks every report against your file before you buy.
Where does the data on this page come from?
From the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of the sampled individuals: genetic distances to other modern and ancient population averages, and a non-negative least-squares model against deep ancestral reference populations. The full method is described at https://www.exploreyourdna.com/populations#method.