Ancestral maneuvers

This groundbreaking discovery fills a critical gap in DNA research of the region's early residents, offering new clues to the close interconnectivity among prehistoric cultural groups in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River region and their potential connection to the ancestors who are all from the Dong-Tai language family. This intriguing connection prompts further research into the linguistic and cultural exchanges that may have occurred between these ancient communities.

The Dong-Tai language family was proposed and named by the Chinese linguist Li Fanggui, and is also known as the Zhuang-Dong or Kam-Tai. According to the World Ethnic Language Network, there are 91 languages and dialects in the Dong-Tai language family, which are mainly spoken in Southeast Asia, extending from southernmost China's Hainan province, to India in the east, and the Malay Peninsula in the west and south.

The Dong-Tai language family is a very complex cultural community from South China to Southeast Asia. The frequent contact and movement of prehistoric people in this area resulted in a complex landscape of intertwined languages and cultural blends.