Asian American Attitudes toward Height | Asian American Poll

AA ATTITUDE TOWARD HEIGHT
(Updated Saturday, Jun 6, 2026, 12:07:54 AM to reflect the 100 most recent valid responses.)

Assuming you are an Asian American, how important is height in your assessment of a person's attractiveness?
It's a key element of attractiveness. | 20%
It's one of many factors I consider. | 44%
It's less important than other personal qualities. | 28%
I am not attracted to tall people. | 8%

Assuming you are an Asian American, which best matches your feelings toward your own height?
I'd like to be 3 inches taller. | 43%
I'd like to be an inch taller. | 27%
I'm happy with my height. | 26%
I'd like to be an inch shorter. | 4%

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MK,

I don't think Qiren is denying the fact that Koreans are for the most part ethnically from the same strains as Manchus and Mongols. I think what he is trying to imply is that there were Chinese influences both culturally and perhaps genetically (via migration, trade and colonization) in the very deep past that defines the Korean identity as it is now. This does not in any way take away the homogeneity of the Koreans, as the Chinese in Korea were too few to modify the dominant genes. On the otherhand, they were absorbed into the Korean race and became Koreans.
J. Wu Wednesday, January 30, 2002 at 22:44:35 (PST)

MK:

With all due respect,

1. Simply because even within Northern Han there are differences. Northeastern Han share more with Koreans and Manchus, while Northwestern Han share more with Persians.
2. Yes, I have seen lots of northern Chinese just as tall as Swedes.
3. Ssu'ma Chien's history records the story of Shang and mentions Kija towards the end. In North Korea, reputed descendants of Kija recently have compiled and recorded a similar family history. Kija's line in Chosun begins in 1122 B.C. From him onwards, there is a listed chronology of succeeding kings from his line until 193 B.C. Prior to that, the Tangun Chosun was more mythology and legends. Kija was a real person with a real human age. And, from sources it was he who named Corea "Chosun, land of the morning calm." It was Kija who introduced Chinese surnames to Koreans.
4. You are right on this part. But, most likely Shang was part of the Sino-Tibetan language family irregardless of what races and ethnicities joined its confederation. Concerning Kija's authenticity and existence. His name was a common one among ancient Shang rulers. Chinese histories make mention of such a person. The Chou were antagonistic towards the Shang whom they overthrew but never lied in recording the chronology.
5. Ssu'ma Chien lists Wiman as a Yen general and distantly related to the Yen throne. Yen was a Chinese kingdom in modern Beijing/Liaotung area ruling over a mixed Han-Tunguz-Korean population. The Kija royal family have always maintained close cultural contacts with the Yen (who was a Chou Dynasty vassal at that time). When Wiman entered Korea with a band of Yen Chinese refugees in the 190s BC, he was welcomed with open arms by King Chun (Kijun) and given a high official post. He later usurped the throne through superior arms and deceit. Later, Wiman Chosun welcomed into Korea even more Chinese refugees refusing to construct the Great Wall for the repressive Qin Emperor. He defied the Han Dynasty because of his loyalty to the Yen royal line. The Yen and Han were ancient feuding kingdoms during the Warring States era. This mentality carried on even after unification under the Qin and Han dynasties. Later, Wiman's grandson lost the battle and was pardoned by the invading Han.
6. OK, but the Mongols did lump northern Chinese and Koreans and even Jurchens as "Han" during the Yuan Dynasty. Anyways, although Koreans and Mongols look the same facially. The Koreans are taller than the Mongols on average and not as broad headed and thick stocky appearance. The Koreans seem to fall between the typical northern Han (who are bit taller and tend to have less broad headedness and single eyelid tighter eyes than both Koreans and Mongols) and the pure unmixed nomadic Mongols.
6. The Koreans have always been more Sinicized that the other non-Han peoples back in the 1,000 BCs when a Siberian animalistic/shamanistic culture merged with a smaller but more technologically advanced iron metal and agricultural Chinese one. This time period corresponds to the exile of Kija to the east (Korea). Of course, you can say such influences might have been borrowings and not necessarily conquest. Well, just merely adopting is not enough. The archaeology uncovered shows all signs of direct import. There had to be a small movement of people into the area to foster stimulus. Whether the Shang Kija party did it through outright conquest is highly unlikely. They must have overwhelmed the native nomadic Koreans due to superior technology, metal weaponry, legal code of laws and sense of identity that united them.
6. Korea's culture maintains more of the older Han Dynasty architecture and music than do modern Chinese. This we can clearly point to high levels of Sinicization at an early period.
7. Han Chinese had migrated to Korea in the distant past. They no longer were "Chinese" when they crossed the Yalu. Kija's history ceased to be Chinese when he left the Middle Kingdom. The same for all the Han who left the Yen, Qin, Han and other dynasties. For Chinese to claim Kija and Wiman Chosun simply on the basis of ethnic origins is baseless and irrelevant. But, Korean modern historians shouldn't deny the Chinese connection through them either. Just as I find it hard why the Japanese would not want to investigate a possible Paekche-Yamato Wa connection and deny it by not allowing imperial graves to be opened for research.
8. Exactly correct. We value our diversified origins. Perhaps I may have had a Korean ancestor who had joined the Chinese ethnos in the past. I will not deny it. Add to that Viet, Thai, Tibetan, Malay, Mongol, Turk, Persian, Arab, Jew, Armenian, etc. It is all in our veins. But, it is entirely irrelevant. Chinese is a culture. It is being a product of being one out of many. We take pride in it.

I just think that Coreans and Chinese (the Han) are not as entirely cut off and distant from each other as some may want to think. We are different and the same at the same time if we are willing to know it.

Qiren Wednesday, January 30, 2002 at 20:55:43 (PST)

Yes chinese used "ft" as measurement, we called it "chek"!Their was a princess that was uncovered, being perfectly preserved, stood over 6ft, with a 7ft coffin.
Chek is closest to a western ft.

Soho! Wednesday, January 30, 2002 at 15:40:32 (PST)

MK

meat and potatoes, sure, but rice a vedgetables, that's really southern buddy. If you go to the north, they rarely eat rice.They eat as a main course dumplings with pork in em and many other meat products.Their carbohydrates are wheat noodles and other types of soft bread.

Qiren,
I agree that chinese are 4 inches taller than the koreans, but lhasa being tall people is hard to beleif ya know.How tall do you mean?I chinese of the beijing tianjin and to the southern region(above shanghai), could be ranked as really tall people.
sohoh Wednesday, January 30, 2002 at 15:38:27 (PST)

You people make me laugh. You are living in a fantasy world. First of all no Asian person can rival the Nordics in height like someone stated earlier. There are so many Asians(mostly Chinese) here, and I rarely ever see one over 6'0. And you guys keep going on about your "northern chinese" and koreans and japanese and mongols and what not. To us you are all the same, so stop the useless arguments. You are not a tall race of people, face it. No matter how much you try to fool yourselves and others into believing it. I read in Maxim Magazine(a credible and one of the most popular magazines in North America) that the average height of men in Japan was 5'5. And we know that people in Japan have a better diet and healthier lifestyle than most people on the mainland of China. Chinese are probaly shorter than Japanese, so how could your so called "northern" chinese be among the tallest in the world. Asians are the shortest people in the world in my opinion, and you should know that this opinion is shared by probably 98% of North Americans. Face the Facts!
White Boy Wednesday, January 30, 2002 at 11:33:38 (PST)

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