Zhuang DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · China (Guangxi) · East Asia
The Zhuang are the largest ethnic minority in China, with close to 20 million people, most of them in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in the far south. Their language belongs to the Tai-Kadai family, and its relatives include Thai and Lao, a reminder that Tai-speaking peoples spread from this region into mainland Southeast Asia. In our model, the Zhuang average is 52.4% Southern Chinese Neolithic farmer, 34.1% East Asian and 13.5% Southeast Asian Neolithic farmer: the southern Neolithic component makes up more than half of the total, more than in our Guangdong Han (Cantonese) average (45.4%). The closest modern averages form one of the tightest clusters in our atlas: Sui samples from Guizhou (0.0059 and 0.006), the Maonan (0.0068) and other Zhuang samples, all Tai-Kadai speakers, then the Mulam and the Hmong-Mien-speaking Bunu. The nearest ancient group is Pingtang Cave in Guizhou, of Yuan and Ming date (0.0231), ahead of sites in Yunnan and Guangxi.
- Ancient components in our model: Southern Chinese Neolithic farmers 52.4%, East Asian 34.1%, Southeast Asian Neolithic farmers 13.5%
- Closest modern population in our data: Sui (Guizhou Sandu Zhoutan), distance 0.0059
- Closest ancient group in our data: China Guizhou HP Yuan-Ming Dynasty Pingtang Cave, distance 0.0231
This page sums up what the DNA of the Zhuang sample tells us about deep origins. It is built from the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of individuals sampled in China (Guangxi), and it is one of 335 populations in our atlas. An average describes the group as a whole, not any single person in it.
Ancient make-up of the Zhuang average
The ancient make-up of the Zhuang average is led by Southern Chinese Neolithic farmers (52.4%), followed by East Asian (34.1%) and Southeast Asian Neolithic farmers (13.5%). The Southern Chinese Neolithic farmers component reflects the Neolithic rice and millet farmers of southern China, whose descendants spread into Southeast Asia. The East Asian share (34.1%) reflects ancestry most common today in East Asia.
The fit is loose (fit distance 0.041), which usually means that none of the available reference populations is a close stand-in for part of this ancestry, so read the percentages as rough. 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 Zhuang
Among the modern populations in the G25 data, the closest to the Zhuang average is Sui (Guizhou Sandu Zhoutan), at a distance of 0.006 (very close). Next come Sui (Guizhou Duyun) at 0.006 and Maonan (Guizhou) at 0.007. Even the tenth closest, Maonan, is only 0.012 away: Zhuang belongs to a dense cluster of related populations, so small differences inside that cluster should not be over-interpreted.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sui (Guizhou Sandu Zhoutan) | 0.0059 | Very close |
| 2 | Sui (Guizhou Duyun) | 0.0060 | Very close |
| 3 | Maonan (Guizhou) | 0.0068 | Very close |
| 4 | Zhuang (Guizhou Congjiang) | 0.0071 | Very close |
| 5 | Sui (Guizhou Sandu Yanpai) | 0.0073 | Very close |
| 6 | Zhuang (Guangxi Guigang) | 0.0085 | Very close |
| 7 | Mulam | 0.0092 | Very close |
| 8 | Bunu (Youmai Yao) | 0.0104 | Very close |
| 9 | Han (Guangxi Guigang) | 0.0115 | Very close |
| 10 | Maonan | 0.0115 | 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 Zhuang
If we search ancient DNA for the best match to Zhuang, China Guizhou HP Yuan-Ming Dynasty Pingtang Cave (Ming dynasty, 1368-1644 AD) comes first, at 0.023, with China Yunnan HP Yuan Dynasty Dou-Sha-Guan next. That is a very close match, which suggests strong genetic continuity between those ancient people (or close relatives of theirs) and the modern population. 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 Guizhou HP Yuan-Ming Dynasty Pingtang Cave | Ming dynasty, 1368-1644 AD | 0.0231 |
| 2 | China Yunnan HP Yuan Dynasty Dou-Sha-Guan | Historical period | 0.0296 |
| 3 | China Guangxi HP Late Yuan-Ming Dynasty Huatudong | Ming dynasty, 1368-1644 AD | 0.0299 |
| 4 | China Guangxi HP Ming Dynasty Huatuyan | Ming dynasty, 1368-1644 AD | 0.0303 |
| 5 | China Guangxi HP Southern Tang Dynasty Lada | Tang dynasty, 618-907 AD | 0.0307 |
| 6 | China Guangxi HP Late Yuan-Ming Dynasty Baitaishan | Ming dynasty, 1368-1644 AD | 0.0344 |
| 7 | China Guangxi HP Ming Dynasty Genggaishan | Ming dynasty, 1368-1644 AD | 0.0352 |
| 8 | China Yunnan HP Nanzhao-Dali Long Ma | Historical period | 0.0360 |
| 9 | China Huatuyan 400BP | c. 1550 AD | 0.0375 |
| 10 | China Guangxi HP Sui-Tang Dynasty Shenxian | Tang dynasty, 618-907 AD | 0.0376 |
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 Zhuang 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 Zhuang
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Zhuang average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Zhuang 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
Keep in mind that a population average is a statistical summary of a limited number of sampled individuals. Real people inside any group vary, some carry more of one ancestry and some less, and no genetic profile decides who is or is not Zhuang. Use these numbers as a map of deep ancestry, not as a label.
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 Zhuang 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 Zhuang?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Zhuang average is about 52.4% Southern Chinese Neolithic farmers, 34.1% East Asian and 13.5% Southeast Asian Neolithic farmers. These proportions are model estimates for a group average, not exact values for any one person.
Which populations are genetically closest to Zhuang?
In the G25 data, the closest modern populations to the Zhuang average are Sui (Guizhou Sandu Zhoutan), Sui (Guizhou Duyun) and Maonan (Guizhou). The closest ancient matches are China Guizhou HP Yuan-Ming Dynasty Pingtang Cave, China Yunnan HP Yuan Dynasty Dou-Sha-Guan and China Guangxi HP Late Yuan-Ming Dynasty Huatudong.
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Zhuang?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Zhuang 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 Zhuang ancestry?
For the Zhuang 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.