Abstract:

A total of 18 head-face parameters of 45254 Chinese adults (19892 males and 25362 females) have been measured in recent years. The data were statistically analyzed by geographical division and principal component analysis was performed. The males of Northeast and North China have longer ears, closer extraocular angle, narrower noses, and wider heads and faces. Southern China population have shorter ears, wider eyes and noses, narrower heads and faces. The females of Northeast and North China have higher and wider faces, larger eye distances and longer ears. The females of South and Southwest China have lower and narrower faces, closer eye distances and shorter ears. Principal component analysis and cluster analysis were conducted on the head-face data of Chinese and foreign populations, and it was found that the head-face characteristics of Chinese were relatively close to those of Caucasian Persians and North American whites, with a large gap between them and African Americans, as well as between them and South Asian population. The physiognomic ear length，interocular breadth, nose breadth, head breadth and morphological facial height of Chinese males are mostly smaller than the four populations of the Negro race, and the morphological facial height of them is mostly smaller than the Persians of the Caucasian race. The nose breadth and mouth breadth of Chinese females are smaller than those of African Americans, and the physiognomic facial height, interocular breadth and face breadth of them are greater than those of North American whites and Iranians. The commonality of head and facial features of geographical regions populations is related to long-term fusion and similar genetic structures among populations, and environmental factors are the important reasons for their differences.

Key words: Chinese, Head and face, Genetic, Environment