Abstract: We measured the standing height, body weight and 16 other anthropometric measrements of 15154 Han adult people (7340 males, 7814 females) from South China between 2009 and 2012, and then calculated 12 items of indices including body mass index (BMI). By comparing head-face characteristics of this Han ethnic group with ones of three different types of Mongoloid race (North Asian, South Asian and East Asian types), we get the following results. The head-face characteristics of the southern Han ethnicity were between North Asian and South Asian ethnic groups. Males of the southern Han ethnicity were more similar to the North Asian type, whereas females of the southern Han ethnicity resembled the South Asian type. Compared with East Asian types, males from South China had smaller head length, breadth, height and circumference, and a narrower face, while Han females of South China had smaller head length, breadth and circumference, smaller jaw breadth, but a larger head height and narrower face. Cluster analysis results show a significant discrepancy between East Asian types and Han ethnicity from South China in body features. Physical characteristics of Han males in South China were similar to North Asian ethnic group types. Han females in South China fit between North Asian and South Asian ethnic groups. Nevertheless, there were distinctive physical characteristics in the Han ethnicity from South China.

Key words: South China; Han; Head-face; Types