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,

1. & 2. This was based on the reports of differing peoples living in Chinese "northeast" provinces (Manchuria). In Jilin Province, near the North Korean border (and in what was once Kungae, the ancient capital of Koguryo), it is mainly populated by people of Korean descent. We call this area the "Yanban Korean Autonomous zones."

I don't know how tall modern South Koreans are? I can assume they are getting taller. But, near the Yanban area, the Han Chinese are significantly taller than both the local Koreans, Manchus, Ewenkis, Tunguz. The data I read was from 1979. Most of the Han Chinese living in Manchuria came from Shandong Province during the Ming Dynasty. Chinese from Shandong are reputed to be the tallest.

Koreans and Northern Chinese (in particular the northeastern ones) actually even share quite a few distinct genetic and HLA sequences with each other, that is not shared by the Japanese and Mongols whom Koreans overall cluster closest with genetically. I read this in various genetic studies on the Internet.

3. & 4. Read Hulbert's History of Korea. He derives from Chinese, Japanese and Korean sources as best and as objective as he can. I liked his approach.

In the past, and as you mentioned earlier, the Chinese did not have a very strong identication with ethnicity. Kija and his 5,000 men were too small to change the native Koreans' genes and language. He ruled as a Korean ruler, irregardless of his origins. In Vietnam, during the 200 BCs, (contemporary with Wiman's arrival in Korea) there was a Qin Dynasty general Lu Chao who fled to Vietnam after meeting defeat on the battlefield vs. the Han Dynasty ruler. He set up his own kingdom and refused allegiance to the newly established Han Dynasty in China (similar to what Wiman did in Korea). Again, Qin and Han were feuding states who hated each other tooth and nail. The Vietnamese king was still loyal to his Qin roots. So, the Han Wudi emperor also conquered Vietnam because of this lingering menace and threat.

With Wiman, besides the Chinese histories, there exists little other accounts of him. I don't know what the current academia says, but we can honestly say that with the passage of time and the lack of other credible sources, we cannot prove or disprove his Chinese identity.

Many Ming Dynasty Han Chinese who had gone over to the Manchus also changed their knots and hairdos. They cut it off and made it into the infamous pigtail. I would apply the same thinking to the hair knot of Wiman.

5. Correct. Chinese, Tibetans, Burmans, Bhutanese, Nepalese and Thais also come from the same language group. But, Chinese would feel more affinities with Koreans than to Tibetans. On the otherhand, Tibetans ironically share more with Mongols (nomadism, Buddhist Lamaism) than they do with the linguistically closer Han Chinese.

6. Koreans start their actual native recorded history during the 3 kingdom (Koguryo, Baekjae, Shinra) era. Prior to that, its history was recorded by the neighboring Chinese. One might think there are to be inconsistencies and distortions in the Chinese sources, but there is always a grain of truth to every falsehood. Do not take the history at its literary value, but its importance in understanding bits and pieces of the Korean past is of value.

7. Korea and China are each other's longest acquaintance and ally in East Asia. They are similar and yet different at the same time. I don't think anyone can argue that.

I never knew what type of hair knot and clothing people in the Ming Dynasty wore until I saw the elder Korean people. In China, such clothing no longer exists due to Manchu conquests. We see it only in the drawings of books.
Qiren Tuesday, February 05, 2002 at 00:56:35 (PST)

Hey White Boy,

Most of the players you posted are minorities among whites, and what the hell is someone from Pakistan doing there? They're considered Asian you cheap-crack smoking incest survivor. And one of the reasons most of the Asian people you see are short is probably because you live in a poor neighborhood where the only Asians immigrants from poor places that didn't eat right and have any sleep throughout their life. Oh yeah, if you think your race is so much superior (don't say "oh I didn't say my race was more superior" bullshit because we all know what you mean) than asians why don't you go to http://www.uglypeople.com and see who are the majority of the ugly men are! Another point is I doubt you're tall or good looking, if I'm wrong prove it and post your picture on a website, hold up a sign that says "White Men Are the Greatest" so we all know it's you, untill then keep your two fists in your ass and away from the keyboard.
White Boy=White Beatlejuice from Howard Stern Show Monday, February 04, 2002 at 21:02:31 (PST)

Here we go again. White boy, there wasn't a single statement in your first letter that was correct. Your second letter proves absolutely nothing, except that you are a stupid moron. You provide a list of 7-footers mostly from Europe, but guess what?! They're all shorter than 7'9" Ri Myong Hun, except for the guy from Tunisia, which only matches Ri's height. But Rodhouane ISN'T EUROPEAN. In fact, the Europeans there are all shorter than 7'6" Yao Ming, except for 7'6" Shawn Bradley (who is an abyssmal basketball player anyway and about to go down in NBA history as a wasted draft pick and the least talent per inch of height).

Why do you provide the names of a Tunisian man and a Pakistani man? I can provide names of African 7-footers, but all of them (except one) are still shorter than Yao Ming, and all shorter than Ri Myong Hun. Your list just proved than Asians can rival the heights of the tallest people in the world. Not only that, but Asians can even surpass the tallest of the tall.

Your original statement was, "First of all no Asian person can rival the Nordics in height like someone stated earlier." I only had to provide one name to prove you wrong, although I provided six names. Even Sasaki's name alone would be sufficient, because 6'4" not only rivals the average height of Nordics, it well surpasses it.

6'1" average for Northern Europeans? I read a Time magazine (far more credible than Maxim) article about extensive research of the height of Americans and Europeans in the mid and late 90's. Among the Europeans, the Dutch are the tallest, 6'0" average. The Scandinavians (Nordics) are second, 5'11" average. The rest of Europe average 5'9" to just below 5'11".

Being an Asian AMERICAN, I've met many white Americans and have enough white friends, and I am quite familiar with the different European nationalities and their heights. The research above is quite accurate.

About Wang Zhizhi's height of 7'1"; guess what, white boy? I got that stat from www.NBA.com also! Look it up yourself. Before he came to the NBA, the Chinese rosters listed his height around 7'1", but that was uncertain by Americans. When he entered the NBA, it was confirmed his height is 7'1", and is now on NBA.com. So the heights of these Asians are credible. And it was the NBA itself that confirmed that Ri Myong's height is 7'9", when he tried to enter the NBA a few years ago, but was later ineligible to join because of international politics.

B. Lee Monday, February 04, 2002 at 20:35:10 (PST)

"I could go on forever - should I? I have hundreds more examples if you want them. And 6'4 is not impressive, the average height of people in Northern Europe is 6'1. OK I think that I have proved you all wrong - Asians are short!"

no the only thing u have prove is you are a mindless dipshit pure and simple

some asians basketball players more than rivals those u have listed in height so what is your Point????

and this sure proves your clueless rumbling The average male height and weight in europe is 5-9" and 168 lbs not 6-1" !
i have lived in england all my life and a height survey was done about 3 years ago and trust me 6-1" is consider tall even for a whiteman over here so stop your bullshitting i bet you are a 5-4" geek who got pissed off cuz some asian guy tower over u ....later geekboy

JK in the UK Monday, February 04, 2002 at 20:28:51 (PST)

All i know is that I get to laugh at the tall guy without money..nuff said
ShortDude Monday, February 04, 2002 at 16:57:06 (PST)

White boy!

Asians are not short...well, tallest there is chinese people
and soooo many tall chinese girl and guy celebrities, which i think reflects average height.Not too tall not too short.

I will give u example of good heights but not freak heights...Since i dont know sports, here are chinese idols.

http://www.beststar.com/ee/0/ 101,10310,0.shtml?s=117&i=22005 is a link to some celebrities.180 cm is 5'11 and 184 is almost 6'1.Not too freakish but it is good average height.Cause celebrities are pretty much average in height

http://www.beststar.com/ee/0/101,10310,0.shtml?s=117&i=22004

is also a link to some 5'10 to 5'11 chinese idols. Mostly females.We arent that short u know...Feel free to browse around, u will find it is okay heights
hey,,,u say jai Monday, February 04, 2002 at 16:13:22 (PST)

6-2 chinese guy in california,

hey, u a decent guy and honest....I am ashamed...

but the chinese are tall if u go to a beijing night club with youngsters and not old folgies.And I heard chinese born in america arent as beautiful as the ones in china and not as tall, just a stereotype the mainlanders say, based on the poor ones who came a long time ago. 5'8 chinese girl...so much ah!
Beijing has alot too. I think chinese height isn't like caucasians as like, male much taller than female, it is more like girl shorter than a man by few inches.

BBAGLAT Monday, February 04, 2002 at 16:07:29 (PST)

MK ...I know what u are....a vedgetarian maniac!dont drag us asians down with you.i am chinese...and everyday i eat chinese food...i never ate tofu and it is not always served ah!!!!
sheesh.consumption of chinese fast food makes u tall though, cause...like i said, oil village...fried chicken, fried fish, fried pork,fried beef,chow mein with sooo much oil.we dont need to adopt western food to "par" with them.i think u are a mad maniac vegetarian who dislikes and imagines the world being too western cause...i guess u insecure maybe ah.you are worrying that people eat too much animal products.chinese eat chinese food,...u get taller.dont listen to mk about vedgies ,rice, and tofu.that is caucasian man who dont know how to order at chinese restaurant food.let me put in letters.cmwdkhtoacrf.rember those letters.end of dis cass ion(discussion).oh wait...traditional chinese food....99.9% meat! i do a exaggeration, hellllooo?but it does involve meat, not just rice and rice.so stupid lah.

dramatization:

wei wei, come on guys , dinner at my place.i serve my mom's chinese food.

everyone on forum: oh wow chinese food i love it.

mk: yes chinese food, tofu...vedgetables. that is right way to eat, cause i love animals.

*serving dinner*

ok ok

first...
chow mein with minced beef! 60%lard!
a vedgetable dish!of course...
fried pork! *mk:what the heck? this is sooo not what i imagine...guess i am man who no know how to order at chinese restaraunt!*

fried chicken breast! *mk:ouch*
roast duck! *shoots mk in chest*

and last but not least...fried rice with pork chop* boooom*

mk has just had a heart attack

now that is end of discasssssione*discussion*
sohoh Monday, February 04, 2002 at 16:02:29 (PST)

Mk,

Are u sure asian diet has less fat? Oh wait...u see I totally ignored all asians countries...I meant china.there is sooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooo ooooooooooooo much grease in chinese food! I can store it in pepsi bottle.
Western diet does not make one big....same thing lor....just get fat and excercise.Chinese food is super oily, not all dishes come with vedgetables.There is pork chops and fried chicken breasts there also.What u say is so....like south east asian around malaysia, where they cant get much fat cause they dont need it.
sohoh Monday, February 04, 2002 at 15:49:14 (PST)

I have a very important question for MK,

When you said, "milk- a horrible food, but now a staple food in the homes of many Asians in the hopes that it will stimulate growth in their children" What the $%#& do you mean? Is there a poison in milk that I havn't heard about? If you look at the Nutrition Facts at the back of the cartons, you can plainly see the nutrients and such of milk. What's your basis for dissin milk? I believe that it's one of the best drinks around and I drink 4 glasses a day. Not only is it a great source of protein, but it doesn't have to be fattening (there's somethin called fat-free milk) and tons of calcium. Studies have also shown that they reduce body fat and make you leaner (no I don't work for the American Dairy Association, just a conscientious drinker thats all)
Thomas Monday, February 04, 2002 at 15:08:59 (PST)

White boy,

You said, "First of all no Asian person can rival the Nordics in height like someone stated earlier." Underline no Asian person. So, please stop lying like other white boys such as Ken Lay of Enron. You did not say that lot more whites than Asians are taller. You said, again I repeat, you said that no Asian person can rival the Nordics in height. Now, that you have been confronted with the facts, what do you do, as all typical white boys do, you deny you had your facts wrong and you lie. But, your statements are clearly in the internet.

I did not say that the Asians are on average taller than whites and you did not say that on average whites are taller than the Asians. By the way, get your geography right. Pakistan is in Asia and not in Europe, and Pakistanis and other South Asians are neither nordic nor white. By the same token the Greeks, Slovenians and Yugoslavs are not nordics either. Tunisians are Arabs and not white, although the US government may consider them to be white. Much more like Mediterranean and slavic (Yugolslavs and Slovenians). Finally, what the hell does American mean. They could belong to any race. The names definitely indicate that they are not Asian. They could be black or white. Of all the folks you have mentioned there are no nordics, except perhaps Bradley. Are there any tall Scandinavians or Englishmen in the NBA?

Please go on forever...then you may find a true nordic who is 7ft 5in and getting ready to play in the NBA. Till that time change your name to white liar instead of white boy.

Asian American Male Monday, February 04, 2002 at 12:53:24 (PST)

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