Taipei Times
Date: Oct 30, 2017
By: Jason Pan  /  Staff reporter

Taiwanese should be considered ethnically distinct from Han Chinese, as a

Hematologist Marie Lin smiles as she receives a bouquet, medal and award during a Medical Dedication Award ceremony in Taipei on Sept. 23.  Photo: CNA

majority are more closely related to Aboriginal Austronesians and Pacific islanders, Taiwan’s leading hematologist and medical anthropology researcher said on Saturday.

Marie Lin (林媽利) made the comment at a book launch party for her biography, where colleagues and friends presented her with bouquets and a birthday cake to mark her turning 80 this year.

Decades of research using molecular technology to analyze human DNA and genetic markers had convinced her that most Taiwanese, as descendants of lowland Pingpu Aborigines (平埔族群) and highland Aborigines have mixed blood types, and are quite distinct from the genetic characteristics of the two main ethnic groups in China, the northern and southern Han Chinese.    [FULL  STORY]