China: Clans of Snow Leopards
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What's included in this test?
- This test provides powerful, innovative, and interactive DNA-based tools to help you explore your Paleolithic ancestors of northern and western China, trace deep hunter-gatherer lineages across Ice Age landscapes, and uncover your genetic connections to the resilient human groups who thrived beside the ancient ranges known today as the home of snow leopards.
- Discover how closely you are related to China: Clans of Snow Leopards (37,615–8,607 BC), individuals associated with Upper Paleolithic and early Holocene societies—hunters, foragers, toolmakers, nomadic explorers, and early ritual practitioners whose lifeways unfolded across glacial valleys, mountain passes, and shifting steppes:
- Receive a detailed breakdown of your ancient geographical origins, interactive ancestry maps showing where your ancestors traveled, hunted large Ice Age fauna, developed stone technologies, adapted to harsh climates, and contributed to the earliest human expansions across East Asia. You will also see your exact genetic similarity to each individual included in this Paleolithic dataset.
- Compare your DNA with over 50 worldwide ancient and modern populations.
- Journey back tens of millennia to reconnect with the earliest human groups of East Asia—communities shaped by extreme environments, seasonal migrations, diverse ecosystems, and the enduring presence of the snow leopard across the ancient landscape.
- Help us reconstruct the origins, dispersals, and genetic diversity of Paleolithic East Asia using the power of ancient DNA.
- Meet the Clans of Snow Leopards — Before History, Before Agriculture, this can be Your Story.
- Basic test includes 5 members.
- Advanced test includes 15 members. Best Deal: Unlock access to a broader collection of East Asian prehistoric DNA tests with our compendium: China: The pre-Han Era of the Ancestors
About the test
China: Clans of Snow Leopards — Ancient Hunters of East Asia (37,615–8,607 BC)
Travel back to the deep Upper Paleolithic of East Asia—an era when early humans traversed glacial forests, river valleys, and mountain ranges that stretched from northern China to the southern subtropics. This test traces your genetic affinity to ancient hunter-gatherer populations living between approximately 37,615 and 8,607 BC, a period marked by climatic extremes, technological innovation, and the earliest peopling of East Asia by modern humans. These groups survived in landscapes shared with now-vanished megafauna, moving in small bands whose resilience and adaptability shaped the deep foundations of East Asian ancestry.
The individuals represented here capture a broad geographic arc—from the frozen Amur River Basin to the limestone caves of South China and one of the most famous early modern human fossils ever discovered near Beijing. Together, they reflect the origins of some of the oldest human lineages in Eurasia, carrying genetic signatures from a time when the world was dominated by ice, forest, and open steppe, and when the earliest East Asian populations formed distinct regional identities.
Collected and reconstructed from:
Together, these sites form one of the oldest ancestries represented in ancient DNA research. They reveal distinct but interconnected Paleolithic groups living in vastly different environments—from snow-covered northern river basins to humid karst landscapes of the south. Their genetic signatures illuminate the deep prehistory of East Asia, when early modern humans hunted, gathered, crafted bone and stone tools, and navigated landscapes shared with wolves, bears, and the symbolic “snow leopard” of the northern highlands.
This test reveals:
Perfect for:
Your personalized report includes:
Discover your DNA from the Clans of Snow Leopards—ancient hunter-gatherers who roamed ice-bound forests, tropical valleys, and mountain shadows at the dawn of East Asian humanity.
Travel back to the deep Upper Paleolithic of East Asia—an era when early humans traversed glacial forests, river valleys, and mountain ranges that stretched from northern China to the southern subtropics. This test traces your genetic affinity to ancient hunter-gatherer populations living between approximately 37,615 and 8,607 BC, a period marked by climatic extremes, technological innovation, and the earliest peopling of East Asia by modern humans. These groups survived in landscapes shared with now-vanished megafauna, moving in small bands whose resilience and adaptability shaped the deep foundations of East Asian ancestry.
The individuals represented here capture a broad geographic arc—from the frozen Amur River Basin to the limestone caves of South China and one of the most famous early modern human fossils ever discovered near Beijing. Together, they reflect the origins of some of the oldest human lineages in Eurasia, carrying genetic signatures from a time when the world was dominated by ice, forest, and open steppe, and when the earliest East Asian populations formed distinct regional identities.
Collected and reconstructed from:
- Tianyuan Cave (near Beijing) — One of the earliest modern human individuals found in East Asia, dating to more than 40,000 years ago. The Tianyuan person represents a key ancestral branch closely related to later East and Southeast Asian populations. This genome provides a rare glimpse into the earliest dispersals of Homo sapiens across northern China and their adaptation to cold Upper Paleolithic environments.
- Amur River Basin (Northeast China and Russian Far East) — A cluster of Upper Paleolithic and Mesolithic individuals from a region dominated by boreal forest, riverine ecosystems, and glacial pressures. These hunter-gatherer groups show a deep, ancient lineage linking Northeast Asia to Native American ancestors (via Paleo-Siberian connections) and highlight the population continuity of northern East Asia over tens of thousands of years.
- Fujian, Zhangping — Qihe Cave — A southern Chinese Paleolithic site representing tropical-subtropical foragers. Individuals from Qihe Cave illustrate the genetic diversity of early human groups in southeastern China, revealing ancestry patterns linked to early coastal populations and later southern East Asian lineages.
- Guangxi — Longlin Cave — A unique site in southwestern China known for individuals with mixed archaic and modern human morphological traits. The genome from Longlin Cave reflects deep southern hunter-gatherer ancestry, capturing variation across Paleolithic East Asia and highlighting complex patterns of survival, interaction, and adaptation.
Together, these sites form one of the oldest ancestries represented in ancient DNA research. They reveal distinct but interconnected Paleolithic groups living in vastly different environments—from snow-covered northern river basins to humid karst landscapes of the south. Their genetic signatures illuminate the deep prehistory of East Asia, when early modern humans hunted, gathered, crafted bone and stone tools, and navigated landscapes shared with wolves, bears, and the symbolic “snow leopard” of the northern highlands.
This test reveals:
- The genetic structure of East Asia’s earliest hunter-gatherer populations
- Deep North–South demographic divisions in Paleolithic China
- Connections between northern East Asians and the ancestors of Native Americans
- How early human groups survived environmental extremes during the last Ice Age
Perfect for:
- Individuals with East Asian ancestry interested in deep-time population history
- Enthusiasts of Paleolithic archaeology and human evolution
- Anyone curious about the earliest peoples who shaped the ancestral roots of China
Your personalized report includes:
- Direct comparison to ancient individuals from Tianyuan, the Amur Basin, Qihe Cave, and Longlin Cave
- mtDNA and Y-DNA haplogroups linked to East Asia’s earliest known populations
- A breakdown of your affinity to northern, central, and southern Paleolithic communities
- Archaeological context covering hunter-gatherer subsistence, climate adaptation, and population dispersal across Pleistocene East Asia
Discover your DNA from the Clans of Snow Leopards—ancient hunter-gatherers who roamed ice-bound forests, tropical valleys, and mountain shadows at the dawn of East Asian humanity.
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Why take this test
Up until 2010, reading the DNA of ancient people was a dream. Since then, the DNA of a Neanderthal who lived over 30,000 years ago has been sequenced. After that reading, the DNA of ancient people who lived from 15,000 BC to 1,800 AD all over the world became the main object of paleogenomic research. This leap forward in technology allowed the creation of a new type of DNA test — tests that do not use modern-day populations as stand-ins for the ancient tribes but rather go right to the source and study these ancient peoples themselves.
The Ancient DNA Hub DNA test is the first next-generation DNA test. It is designed solely using the DNA of ancient people throughout history using our novel technologies.
With this test, you will receive a precise ancient ethnicity estimate with far greater geographical details than you could imagine. You will make new connections with historical people and places where your ancestors lived, walked, battled, created, and dreamed thousands of years ago. Using genetic data and evidence from history and archeology, we can revive the past and allow you to take part in this story at the most personal level.
The Ancient DNA Hub DNA test is the first next-generation DNA test. It is designed solely using the DNA of ancient people throughout history using our novel technologies.
With this test, you will receive a precise ancient ethnicity estimate with far greater geographical details than you could imagine. You will make new connections with historical people and places where your ancestors lived, walked, battled, created, and dreamed thousands of years ago. Using genetic data and evidence from history and archeology, we can revive the past and allow you to take part in this story at the most personal level.
