Guangxi Cave-Burial Genomes: Genetic Formation and North–South Disparities Among Kra–Dai and Hmong–Mien Speakers

A Fudan University team led by Wang Chuanchao, working with Xiamen University and the Guangxi Institute of Cultural Relics Protection and Archaeology, has generated 14 new ancient genomes from cave burials in Guangxi, published in Molecular Biology and Evolution (43(2):msag034). Note: the paper went online on 3 February 2026 and was indexed in PMC only in mid-March — a borderline, slightly pre-window item; the formal issue should be checked before publishing.

The study directly tests a long-standing archaeological hypothesis: whether the cave-burial peoples of the Youjiang and Zuojiang basins and the Nandan region were the ancestors of today’s Kra–Dai and Hmong–Mien speakers. The DNA shows that Southeast Asian Hmong–Mien populations derive 74.8%–100% of their ancestry from the cave-burial people, retaining ancient southern components.

A counterintuitive north–south gap emerges: Hmong–Mien speakers within China retain only 11.1%–37.2% of that ancestry, while carrying 14.7%–52.1% Yellow River-related admixture. Most Kra–Dai populations, by contrast, cluster tightly with their Guangxi ancestors, drawing 28.5%–100% of ancestry from them. The results provide direct ancient-DNA evidence for the genetic formation of southern Chinese language families.

Source: Tao L., Xie Y., He H. et al., corr. Wang C. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 2026-02-03 (PMC indexed 2026-03).