China's Silk Road Ancestors: The Tang Empire
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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 ancestors from China during the height of the Tang Empire (718 AD–820 AD). This era represents one of the most cosmopolitan and outward-looking periods in Chinese history, characterized by imperial stability, cultural confidence, artistic brilliance, and unprecedented connectivity along the Silk Road linking East Asia with Central Asia, the Middle East, and beyond.
- Discover how closely you are related to China's Silk Road Ancestors: The Tang Empire (718 AD–820 AD), individuals associated with populations living at the crossroads of global exchange—imperial officials, frontier soldiers, merchants, artisans, scholars, and migrant communities shaped by long-distance trade, diplomacy, religious pluralism, and sustained interaction with Persian, Sogdian, Turkic, and other Eurasian cultures:
- Receive a detailed breakdown of your ancient geographical origins, including interactive ancestry maps showing where your ancestors lived, served, traded, or settled across the Tang Empire and its Silk Road networks. This includes the Central Plains, Chang’an and Luoyang, the Hexi Corridor, Xinjiang oasis states, and key nodes of trans-Eurasian exchange. You will also see your exact genetic similarity to each individual included in this Tang-period dataset, reflecting mobility, admixture, and imperial integration.
- Compare your DNA with over 50 worldwide modern populations.
- Journey back more than 1,200 years to reconnect with people who lived during China’s golden age of global exchange—when poetry, art, science, and commerce flourished, cities became truly international, and the Silk Road carried ideas and people as much as goods.
- Help us reconstruct population structure, long-distance migration, and genetic exchange across the Silk Road during the Tang Empire using the power of ancient DNA.
- Meet the Tang Empire — When China Became the World’s Crossroads, this can be Your Story.
- Basic test includes 5 members.
- Advanced test includes 16 members. Best Deal: Unlock access to a broader collection of ancient Chinese, Silk Road, and medieval Eurasian DNA tests with our compendium: China: The post-Han Empire of the Dragon
About the test
China’s Silk Road Ancestors: The Tang Empire (718 AD–820 AD)
Enter the high age of cosmopolitan empire, when China stood at the center of Eurasian exchange. The Tang dynasty represents the apex of early imperial globalization—a period defined by cultural confidence, military reach, and unprecedented mobility across the Silk Road. This test explores your genetic connections to populations living between 718 AD and 820 AD, during the mature phase of the Tang Empire, when long-distance trade, diplomacy, and migration reshaped societies from East Asia to Central Asia and beyond.
These individuals lived in a world of movement and encounter: soldiers guarding western frontiers, administrators managing distant territories, merchants and pilgrims traveling between continents, and local communities embedded in trans-Eurasian networks. Their lives reflect an empire that was outward-looking, diverse, and deeply interconnected.
Historical context
By the eighth century, the Tang Empire had consolidated its power after earlier expansion and internal reforms. Chang’an stood as one of the largest and most diverse cities on Earth, while imperial authority extended deep into Central Asia. The Silk Road was not merely a trade route, but a complex system of military colonies, oasis states, religious centers, and multiethnic settlements linking China to the Islamic world, the steppe, and the Mediterranean.
The period from 718 to 820 AD spans both Tang strength and adaptation. Following the An Lushan rebellion, the empire restructured its military and frontier administration while maintaining long-distance connectivity. Western regions such as Qinghai and the Hexi–Tibetan corridors became strategically vital zones where Han Chinese, Tibetan, Turkic, Sogdian, and other Inner Asian populations interacted, intermarried, and moved under shifting political control.
Collected and reconstructed from:
What this population represents
This site captures a critical human dimension of the Tang Silk Road world:
This is not merely a test of empire—but of connectivity, diversity, and movement across continents.
This test reveals:
Perfect for:
Your personalized report includes:
Discover your DNA from the Tang Empire— the people who lived at the crossroads of China and the world.
Enter the high age of cosmopolitan empire, when China stood at the center of Eurasian exchange. The Tang dynasty represents the apex of early imperial globalization—a period defined by cultural confidence, military reach, and unprecedented mobility across the Silk Road. This test explores your genetic connections to populations living between 718 AD and 820 AD, during the mature phase of the Tang Empire, when long-distance trade, diplomacy, and migration reshaped societies from East Asia to Central Asia and beyond.
These individuals lived in a world of movement and encounter: soldiers guarding western frontiers, administrators managing distant territories, merchants and pilgrims traveling between continents, and local communities embedded in trans-Eurasian networks. Their lives reflect an empire that was outward-looking, diverse, and deeply interconnected.
Historical context
By the eighth century, the Tang Empire had consolidated its power after earlier expansion and internal reforms. Chang’an stood as one of the largest and most diverse cities on Earth, while imperial authority extended deep into Central Asia. The Silk Road was not merely a trade route, but a complex system of military colonies, oasis states, religious centers, and multiethnic settlements linking China to the Islamic world, the steppe, and the Mediterranean.
The period from 718 to 820 AD spans both Tang strength and adaptation. Following the An Lushan rebellion, the empire restructured its military and frontier administration while maintaining long-distance connectivity. Western regions such as Qinghai and the Hexi–Tibetan corridors became strategically vital zones where Han Chinese, Tibetan, Turkic, Sogdian, and other Inner Asian populations interacted, intermarried, and moved under shifting political control.
Collected and reconstructed from:
- Dulan Wayan Reservoir site (Qinghai Province, Dulan County, Reshui Town), A highland Silk Road context reflecting frontier life at the intersection of Tang China, the Tibetan Plateau, and Inner Asian exchange networks.
What this population represents
This site captures a critical human dimension of the Tang Silk Road world:
- Frontier communities shaped by imperial administration and military presence
- Populations living along strategic highland corridors linking China and Inner Asia
- Genetic diversity produced by long-distance trade, migration, and intermarriage
- The lived reality of Tang-era globalization
This is not merely a test of empire—but of connectivity, diversity, and movement across continents.
This test reveals:
- The genetic profile of Tang-period Silk Road populations
- Evidence of interaction between East Asian, Inner Asian, and highland groups
- Demographic signatures of trade, military deployment, and frontier settlement
- The human legacy of Tang China’s Eurasian reach
Perfect for:
- Individuals with East Asian or Central Asian ancestry
- Those interested in the Silk Road and Tang cosmopolitanism
- Enthusiasts of ancient globalization and cultural exchange
- Anyone seeking DNA insight into China’s most outward-looking empire
Your personalized report includes:
- Direct genetic comparison to Tang-era individuals from the Silk Road frontier
- mtDNA and Y-DNA haplogroups associated with Tang-period populations
- Affinity analysis highlighting links to imperial, frontier, and Inner Asian groups
- Historical and archaeological context covering trade, diplomacy, and frontier life
Discover your DNA from the Tang Empire— the people who lived at the crossroads of China and the world.
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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.
