INTRODUCTION

In the past ten years or so, important advances in our understanding of the formation of East Asian populations, historical cultures and language phyla have been made separately by geneticists, physical anthropologists, archaeologists and linguists. In particular, the genetics of East Asian populations have become the focus of intense scrutiny. The mapping of genetic markers, both classical and molecular, is progressing daily: geneticists are now proposing scenarios for the initial settlement of East Asia by modern humans, as well as for population movements in more recent times. Chinese archaeologists have shown conclusively that the origins of rice agriculture are to be sought in the mid-Yangzi region around 10,000 BP and that a millet-based agriculture developed in the Huang He Valley somewhat later. Linguists have been refining their reconstructions of the proto-languages of the main phyla of the region, and proposing evidence for genetic links to relate these phyla. The period of time they are considering is, by and large, the same period which saw the spread of domesticated plants. General hypotheses are being tested on East Asia: how congruent are languages and genes? and is the formation of language phyla linked with the beginnings of agriculture? Archaeologists, linguists and geneticists are attempting to unravel different aspects of the East Asian problem, sometimes proceeding independently, more often attempting to account for advances in other disciplines. It is important to emphasise that there are conflicting hypotheses in each field and to clarify for other disciplines the significance of these hypotheses for their own interpretations.