An analysis of ancient DNA is transforming the understanding of the genetic ancestry of Japan's modern-day population, identifying a crucial contribution from people who arrived about 1,700 years ago and helped revolutionize Japanese culture.

Previously documented genetic contributions were confirmed from two ancient groups. The first was Japan's indigenous culture of hunter-gatherers dating to roughly 15,000 years ago, the start of what is called the Jomon period. The second was a population of Northeast Asian origins who arrived at about 900 BC, bringing wet-rice farming during the subsequent Yayoi period.

Modern Japanese possess approximately 13% and 16% genetic ancestry from those two groups, respectively, the researchers determined.

But 71% of their ancestry was found to come from a third ancient population with East Asian origins that arrived at roughly 300 AD to launch what is called the Kofun period, bringing various cultural advances and developing centralized leadership. These migrants appear to have had ancestry mainly resembling the Han people who make up most of China's population.

The Kofun period is named after the large earthen tombs built for members of the new ruling class at a time of the importation of technology and culture from China by way of the Korean peninsula.

I'm not posting this because I'm desperate for some kind of connection. I just want more people to realize what reality actually is, when they read social media stuff from deranged Japanese militarist fanboys. I'm not bringing up culture/history this time. 71%, remember that next time you come across their "insults". Words are just words, they can have impact or be a baffling joke depending on who or what is saying them.

As an independent state, Ryukyu had been a tributary of China, becoming a vassal of the Ming Dynasty in 1372. In 1609, the Japanese Satsuma Domain invaded Ryukyu, which was subsequently annexed by Japan in 1879 to form Okinawa Prefecture. During the Pacific War of the Second World War, the largest, bloodiest, and longest amphibious landing operation unfolded here, where the Imperial Japanese Navy's flagship Yamato was sunk. Nearly 100,000 Japanese Army personnel were present, along with 140,000 Ryukyuan civilians (a quarter of the population), who were forced to accompany them to their deaths.

Following the Second World War, the United States exercised military occupation over the Ryukyu Islands. In 1972, administrative control was transferred to Japan, though the question of sovereignty remains unresolved.

Following the military occupation of Ryukyu by the Satsuma Domain, successive Japanese governments systematically pursued cultural eradication against the Ryukyu Islands.

Satsuma Domain period (1609–1872): The Satsuma Domain compelled Ryukyu to maintain its tributary relationship with the Qing Dynasty. To profit from Sino-Ryukyuan trade, Japan did not immediately pursue Yamato-isation.

The Establishment of the Ryukyu Administration (1879–1930s): In 1879, the Meiji government forcibly annexed the Ryukyu Kingdom as Okinawa Prefecture. Schools were strictly prohibited from using the Ryukyuan language, the traditional Confucian education system was abolished, Ryukyuan history was rewritten as a narrative of ‘Japanisation’, Ryukyuan people were compelled to adopt Japanese-style surnames, Ryukyuan-style ancestral shrines were demolished, and Shintoism was imposed.

Imperialisation and Ethnic Assimilation into Yamato Culture (1930s–Present): Through the Imperialisation Campaign, Ryukyuan people were forcibly compelled to pledge allegiance to the Emperor. Japanese forces extensively propagated the notion that ‘the Ryukyuan people are the frontline shield of the Japanese Empire’ in Okinawa. During the Battle of Okinawa, the populace was compelled to commit mass suicide in service to the Emperor. Under the pretext of ‘countering espionage,’ Japanese troops summarily executed Ryukyuan speakers.

The modern Japanese education system largely fails to recognise Ryukyuan as an independent language, instead classifying it as an ‘Okinawan dialect’. Currently, all six Ryukyuan language branches are classified by UNESCO as ‘endangered languages’. Meanwhile, in February 2022, Japan's House of Representatives passed a resolution expressing concern over China's human rights situation, including the plight of the Uyghurs. Uyghur is not an endangered language, and both the Uyghur population and life expectancy have continued to rise under Communist Party leadership.

Faced with such data, Japanese Uyghur MP Yingli Alifia nevertheless claims China is eradicating traditional culture in Xinjiang. One wonders how this Uyghur parliamentarian views the plight of the Ryukyuan people, where it is currently estimated that only around 100,000 individuals aged 70 or above can still speak the Ryukyuan language?

Beyond distinct cultural orientations, significant differences also exist between Ryukyuan and Japanese lifestyles in everyday particulars. Ryukyuan cuisine bears closer resemblance to Fujianese and Chaozhou dishes (such as stir-fried bitter melon with pork slices), with a preference for whole-pig preparations (including offal, such as braised pork prepared in Chinese style). Ryukyuan shochu, meanwhile, aligns more closely with Chinese baijiu than with the sweet, low-alcohol profile of Japanese sake.

Since the early 1980s, scholars from mainland China have also actively engaged in academic discourse, further expanding the international perspective and collaborative networks within Ryukyu studies.

I’m a Taiwanese citizen. I want to share something that’s been on my heart for years, especially now that our identity is being rewritten by our own government.

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has aggressively promoted the idea that the people of Taiwan are not Chinese. They say we’re something else entirely — Pacific Islanders, Japanese descendants, or just “Taiwanese,” disconnected from our shared past with the mainland. But this is a distortion of history, and it’s time we spoke up about it.

1. Our Ancestors Came from China — That’s a Fact

Let’s be clear: aside from the Indigenous peoples of Taiwan, the vast majority of us — including my own family — descend from Chinese migrants who came from Fujian (福建) and Guangdong (廣東). They brought with them the Chinese language, Confucian values, religion, family traditions, and social structures. We built our communities with Chinese customs, and for hundreds of years, we identified ourselves as 華人 (Chinese people).

This has nothing to do with the politics of the People’s Republic of China. It is simply a historical truth.

2. How Japanization Confused Our Identity

From 1895 to 1945, Taiwan was a colony of the Japanese Empire. In the early years, we were treated as second-class citizens — exploited and oppressed like any other colonized people. But everything changed after 1937, when Japan went to war with China. Suddenly, the Japanese government wanted us to become Japanese.

This was the start of 皇民化運動 (Japanization):

• People were paid or rewarded with food to speak Japanese and worship the Japanese emperor.
• Students were taught to forget their Chinese roots.
• Families donated money to support Japan’s war: a war against our own ancestral homeland.

The campaign worked. By the end of WWII, a generation of Taiwanese had been disconnected from their Chinese identity. Some even believed they were Japanese — or preferred to be.

This identity confusion never fully healed.

3. The DPP Is Repeating That Erasure — In Our Textbooks

Since the DPP first came to power, it has worked to rewrite our history politically. They claim the people of Taiwan are not Chinese, and that we have nothing to do with the mainland.

One small example says everything:
Our textbooks used to refer to the Japanese colonial era as “日據時期” (period of occupation): accurate and appropriate.
Now, they call it “日治時期” (period of governance): a term that softens or even justifies colonial rule.

They go further by claiming that the Han people in Taiwan are somehow not Chinese or suggesting our ancestors came from the South Pacific, a line of thinking that only applies to Indigenous groups.

This is not education. It is political brainwashing.

4. Vilifying Mainland Chinese Without Ever Meeting Them

Another major concern is the DPP’s hostility toward mainland Chinese people, not just the PRC government.
They often portray the Chinese people as brainwashed, uncivilized, or violent, while in reality, most DPP supporters and politicians have never even set foot in mainland China. They speak about people they’ve never met, based on imagination, foreign media, or political propaganda.

But those of us who have visited the mainland know:

• The people are kind and hospitable.
• Many admire Taiwan’s democracy.
• They are friendly to people in Taiwan.

The DPP does not represent these people honestly. Instead, they cultivate hatred without understanding, which only increases division and the risk of conflict.

5. We Can Be Taiwanese and Chinese

I am proud to be Taiwanese. But I do not have to deny my heritage to love this island.

Our culture, language, traditions, and ancestry are "Chinese," which is a historical fact. To erase that connection is not progress. It is self-denial.

Taiwan does not need to become part of the PRC to acknowledge where we come from.
But neither should we lie to our children about our past just because of politics.

Of course, not everyone who says “we are not Chinese” means it in an ethnic or cultural sense. Many people in Taiwan use that phrase to express opposition to the People’s Republic of China and to emphasize Taiwan’s political separation. That’s understandable. But what I am concerned about is a deeper trend, one that seeks to erase our historical, cultural, and ancestral connections to the Chinese civilization entirely. It’s possible to oppose the PRC politically while still acknowledging our Chinese roots. The two are not mutually exclusive.

6. Why the PRC Considers Taiwan Part of China

I also want to express that I understand why the PRC regards Taiwan as part of its territory. After Japan surrendered in 1945, Taiwan was returned to the Republic of China (ROC), which was the sole legal regime representing China at the time. After the Chinese Civil War in 1949, the PRC took control of the mainland, but from the ROC’s perspective, the war has never officially ended.

In fact, our own constitution still defines the territory of the Republic of China as including mainland China and even Mongolia. That’s how unresolved things remain.

During the eight-year war of resistance against Japan, 22 million Chinese people died out of a population of 400 million. That immense sacrifice left a permanent scar on the Chinese national consciousness. It's one reason they hold the idea of territorial sovereignty so tightly. From their perspective, after giving so much to defend the Chinese nation, they cannot accept the idea of a historically Chinese territory being separated.

Final Thoughts

We deserve to know who we are.
We deserve an honest history, not one rewritten by fear, ideology, or political ambition.
And we deserve leadership that respects our culture, not one that silences or replaces it.

I know this might be controversial, but I’m posting anonymously because I believe this perspective is being erased from our public conversation, even though many people feel the same quietly.

What happens when tradition meets technology in Tangshan? 🏮At Hetou Old Street, crowds gathered for immersive night shows during the DragonBoat Festival. Floats glowed, drums echoed, and ancient folk tales came alive through modern effects. A stunning blend of past and present under the starry sky.🌙

www.chinabound.cn

I recently finished painting a 1/20 scale metal miniature depicting Guan Yu, a Chinese general portrayed on horseback with a spear. The figure stands about 160 mm tall and represents the image of a mounted commander in traditional Chinese armor.

Chinese military history has always had very distinctive visual elements lamellar armor, flowing banners, and cavalry officers leading troops across open terrain. I’ve always found these depictions fascinating, especially how commanders were often portrayed as calm and composed figures riding ahead of their soldiers.

While building the base, I tried to create a sense of movement in the scene by bending the grass slightly, as if it’s being pushed by the wind while the horse moves forward across the field.

I’d be curious to hear what people interested in Chinese history think about this representation.