ABSTRACT
The early history of H. sapiens in China is complex because China lies in both the Palearctic and Oriental biographic realms, and had experienced several immigration events before H. sapiens. Immigration by our species into south China from Southeast Asia probably began as early as 80,000 years ago. North China has a different history: here, humans immigrated from Mongolia and southern Siberia ca. 45,000 years ago as part of a cold-adapted fauna. The subsequent demographic history of China is one of mixing and interbreeding of populations from both north and south China. Explanations of its demographic history have to include immigration, assimilation of new populations, and continuity of local groups.
