Asian American Attitudes toward Height | Asian American Poll

AA ATTITUDE TOWARD HEIGHT
(Updated Wednesday, Jan 22, 2025, 06:39:09 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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WHAT YOU SAY

[This page is closed to new input. --Ed.]

As a Cantonese-American who just stumbled on to this thread, I read with surprise with how northern Han compatriots regard themselves as more "Chinese" compared to southern Han. Currently, there is a Taiwanese inspired movement for independence, and one of their motto is that the genes of Taiwan people are genetically different from the "real Han ren" (imply northerners). They based this on genetic studies done among native Taiwanese, Fujian peoples and Beijing peoples. It is a flawed study because how can we determine that Beijing-ren are genetically the same as the Han and Tang?

In Guangdong province, they have ample evidence for a northern migration down south (through Hunan and Jiangxi). Graves in northern Guangdong have been found dating to the Tang/Song era and these were men of high rank in government. Often they brought entire families and clans down south to resettle (due to Khitan, Jurchen and Mongol invasions up north). These aristocrats graves are often written in elegant poetry. Again, the language they used was similar to the speech of today's Cantonese and Hakka dialects. Aristocratic surnames with 2 syllable characters such as: Sima, Situ, Aoyang, etc. are found with occasional frequency among the Cantonese and Hakkas while up north it is very rare nowadays.

The southern Chinese are mixed predominantly with the aboriginal Yueh (cousins of modern Viet and Thai peoples). No doubt about it. The Han Chinese have never been known to have genocidal capabilities, but their ability to assimilate and draw others into their culture and race should be commendable. The Yueh people gradually "Sinicized" and we Cantonese, Fujianese, Taiwanese should not deny our Yueh ancestry either as we traditionally have. But, the Han Chinese conquest of the south was not violent prone. Compare with what happened in the Americas and Siberia when whites intruded.

And, what about northern Han? Have they matched their DNA with those of the Chin, Han, Tang and Song Chinese? I am afraid they also have a lot of Mongol and Manchu stratum that few are willing to acknowledge. Perhaps the most pure "Chinese" are the ones who live just above the Yangtze and below the Huangho (Yellow River). Again, there is no such thing as who is more pure or who is more "Chinese" compared to the rest.

Chinese premier Zhu Rongji is from Hunan (a southern province where Mao also hailed from). Zhu is a direct descendant of the Ming imperial line, and his family fled south when the Manchus and the Ming traitor, Wu Sanguei chased remnants of the Ming imperial court down all the way to Yunnan, Burma, Guangdong. One branch of this imperial line fled with Ming General/Admiral Koxinga (whose mother was Japanese) to Taiwan.

Cantonese cuisine is so varied and rich because many chefs from the north during the Song and the Ming had brought their entire imperial kitchen and chefs with them on their way down south.

So, please note that all Chinese have a claim to the past heritage one way or the other.
Cantonese descendant of the Yueh as well as Chin, Han, Tang, Song and Ming Saturday, October 27, 2001 at 12:13:38 (PDT)

Speaking of N. and S. Chinese, has anyone watched Iron Monkey? I think the different characters show the different types of Chinese.

The lead character Iron Monkey is an actor from Beijing. He is the stypical Northern Chinese, in face, height and build. I forgot his name, but I know that he is from one of the actor's troupes of the Communist gov. before he went south to HK to find movie jobs.

The father, or Donnie Yen is a typical Cantonese type. As you can see he can easily pass for SE Asian, or even hispanic. There are many Cantonese who look like this.

Most of the rest of the cast are Cantonese, as you can see, many can pass for Viets, Filipinos, Thais or whatever SE Asians.
Iron Monkey Saturday, October 27, 2001 at 09:29:46 (PDT)

Curious Corean American,

Chinese is an identity and a culture, not a race. Unlike the Japanese and Koreans, there is no homogenous "Chinese look". Physical types very widely from region to region, but each are equally Chinese. The Southern Chinese are a mix between Northern Han migrants and the original aborigine tribes that lived in that area. This is especially true of the Cantonese, Taiwanese and Fujianese. The Cantonese (75% of Chinese Americans) are strongly related both physically and culturally with the Vietnamese, you are correct in your observations. In Southwest China, the local native minorities still maintain a strong presence and it is reflected in the local Han populations of Guangxi, Guiyang, Sichuan and Yunnan as well. The Zhuangs, Dais, Miaos are related to the Thais, Laotians and Burmese. However, the Northwestern Chinese such as the Gansunese, Ningxia Huis, Shaanxi peoples are distinct because they still have strong remnants of Persian, Turkic and Arabic blood. You can see this in their facial features and many aspects of their culture. There are also a large percentage of Moslems in the Northwest, with the province of Ningxia having a Moslem majority. Xinjiang, China's largest province is inhabited by a non-Han Turkic people called the Uighurs who range from Mongol in appearance to completely middle-eastern/Caucasian. The Tibetans are obviously the majority in Tibet. But there are large Tibetan populations in Qinghai and West Sichuan province, many of the local Han populations share physical similarity with the Tibetans. Finally, the archetypical Northern Chinese of Hebei, Shandong and the three Manchurian provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning are the typical Mongol physical types. This area is inhabited by many large and politically strong minorities such as the Manchus, Mongols and the Koreans. But physically, the minorities and local Hans are all of the same Mongol stock.

I believe that Koreans are generally an intermediate between the N. Chinese and the Japanese. There has been some mixing between the Japanese and the Koreans, especially in S. Korea, hence Koreans are not as large in stature as most of the N. Chinese. The Japanese are very short and small in stature, and historically has been contemptuously ridiculed by the N. Chinese since ancient times as the "island dwarf slaves". But Koreans have generally been respected as the "ceremonious people to the east" for their strict performance of Confucian duty and tradition.

As you can imagine, it is very difficult to keep such a large and varied people together as one country. What binds the Chinese together is a common identity, and a common political and economic structure. Much like what binds Americans together. You'd be surprised to know that only until this very century, there was no such thing as a Chinese identity. Most Chinese only identified with their province as their nationality, but obeyed the law of the emperor. That is why, thought he Chinese emperors have constantly expanded influence into other Asian nations, there has never been racial hatred against other Asians because there was no national identity amongst the Chinese. That is very different than the Japanese who claimed superiority against other Asians, most probably due to their frustration at being so short and dwarfish.
China anthropologist Friday, October 26, 2001 at 22:42:12 (PDT)

Curious Corean American,

The only pure Han Chinese are probably the ones in the central provinces (i.e. Sichuan, Hubei, Anhui, Jiangxi, etc.). All the others ones have mixed with different nationalities.
Telling it like it is. Friday, October 26, 2001 at 22:29:17 (PDT)

chinatown, are you the same guy that said that he was 6'2", but only 140 pounds in the "attitudes toward weight" poll!?!? Dammit dude, instead of braggin how tall you are and calling other people short, why don't you go gain some wait, you human-giraffe? I'm 5'9" and I weigh 165 pounds. I'd rather be like that than look like some Asian Shawn Bradley of the NBA. A stiff breeze could knock you over man. Sheesh.
Go gain some weight, then come back and preach. Friday, October 26, 2001 at 19:55:52 (PDT)

Basically there are many types of Chinese. Ok, I agree that each is equally Chinese. But Chinese are so different from each other that they resemble the neighboring countries more than other Chinese on the other side of the country. For example, I think of Cantonese as just modified Viets, or Viets as modified Cantonese. I feel the Mongols from Nei Mongol are the same N. Chinese as me. The Chinese from NW China may feel more closely to the Arabs and Turks because of their islamic religion. Then there are the Uighurs Turkic peoples, and Tibetans, the many minorities of the SW China related to the Thais. These are all my Chinese people, they are all part of my country. I may have more in common with Koreans, but the Uighurs and Cantonese are still my fellow Chinese.
N. Chinese guy Friday, October 26, 2001 at 18:05:08 (PDT)

Curious Corean guy,

No, Northern Chinese are not Manchurians. Manchurians are a type of N. Chinese though. I, myself am half Manchurian and half Han. But you cannot tell the difference between my two sides of the family because Northern Hans, Mongols and Manchus are basically the same people.

How do I feel about the S. Chinese who are 99% of the Chinese in this country? Well, I do feel they are my countrymen. But you have to understand that Chinese culture is like American culture, there are many races and people under that same culture, and many subcultures. I feel that the Southern Chinese and I share the same civ., history and general identity, but we are not of the same racial stock. Also, the Cantonese culture seem so foreign to me. I actually feel more similarity between my Korean friends and I than with Cantonese or Taiwanese. Not only that we look much more similar, but the way we were raised, personality type, and outlook on life is more similar to the Koreans. To be honest, as a child, I always thought of Koreans as another type of N. Chinese, prob. because of the many Korean Chinese in NE China.

Basically there are many types of Chinese. Ok, I agree that each is equally Chinese. But Chinese are so different from each other that they resemble the neighboring countries more than other Chinese on the other side of the country. For example, I think of Cantonese as just modified Viets, or Viets as modified Cantonese. I feel the Mongols from Nei Mongol are the same N. Chinese as me. The Chinese from NW China may feel more closely to the Arabs and Turks because of their islamic religion. Then there are the Uighurs Turkic peoples, and Tibetans, the many minorities of the SW China related to the Thais. These are all my Chinese people, they are all part of my country. I may have more in common with Koreans than with Uighurs or Cantonese, but in the end, the Uighurs and Cantonese are still my fellow Chinese.
N. Chinese guy Friday, October 26, 2001 at 18:04:12 (PDT)

Me Again,
]
Okay, maybe your Korean crew was close to 6'3" or 6'5", but that's not the norm for Koreans- let's face it. The average height for a Korean and Korean-American male is still well under 6 feet tall. I'm around lots of Koreans all the time.

Also, not all Taiwanese are smaller than Koreans. I think you meant on average Koreans are larger than Taiwanese, but I don't think younger Koreans are significantly taller or larger than the new generation of Taiwanese. Also, I've also seen quite a few taller and larger Taiwanese as well (yes, even large and tall for a Korean).

But, then again, Asians on a whole-whether northern or southern are not the tallest nor largest people.
Asian Height Friday, October 26, 2001 at 15:47:40 (PDT)

Me again,

As a whole nation you say Koreans may be taller and bigger on average (since China will include Southerners). Koreans are homogenous while Chinese are not. We all agree that the Koreans are not the tallest, but the Northern Chinese are, as well as the largest. But, I keep hearing about writing how tall and large many Koreans are. You know, I have seen some tall and large ones, but on a whole, I don't consider them extremely tall and large people.

Younger generation Southerners are not midgets- they are getting considerably taller and larger. Thought, genetically, Southern Chinese may be more closely related to Vietnamese, Thais, they are on average taller and larger than just about all Southeast Asians (Vietnamese, Burmamese, Thais, Cambodians, Laotians, Filipinos, Malaysians, Indonesians, while Singaporeans are largely descendants of immigrants from other parts of Asia).

Then, you get some Pacific Islanders like Samoans- I don't know what they have in their genes- but they are huge- not extremely tall, but you will see some over 6 feet tall and 300lbs or more.
Heights of Asians and Pacific Islanders Friday, October 26, 2001 at 15:35:31 (PDT)

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