ABSTRACT
China is the only developing country that joined the international Human Genome Research Project. Its so-called ‘1% Project’, sequencing 1 per cent of the human genome, drew much attention from not only the domestic biomedical community, but also the highest policymakers in China. To facilitate this effort, the Chinese Academy of Science (CAS) set up the Beijing Institute of Genomics, led by Professor Yang Huanming. So as to catch up with the latest developments in this highly competitive field, China’s Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) in 1998 established its National Human Genome Research Centers located in Beijing and Shanghai. These two national centres have announced the establishment of several databases focusing on common diseases such as hypertension. For instance, the database for Genomic Polymorphisms of Chinese Ethnic Groups (GPCEG) contains denomination and basic information, such as data of genomic polymorphism, cell lines and references of Han and another fifty-five national minorities.1
