Exploration of hanging coffin customs and the bo people in China through comparative genomics

PRJCA030009 Original Paper / DOI2025-11-2015 samples (study)

AI interpretationAI-generated

Ancient DNA links China's hanging coffin tradition to the Bo people and a wider southern network.

Researchers sequenced 11 ancient genomes from hanging coffin sites in China, 30 modern Bo genomes, and 4 ancient Thai log coffin genomes. They found that today's Bo people carry substantial ancestry from the ancient hanging coffin practitioners. Both ancient and modern groups show strong genetic ties to coastal Neolithic southern East Asians, ancestors of Tai-Kadai and Austronesian speakers. Surprisingly, there was also Northeast Asian and Yellow River farmer ancestry in hanging coffin communities over 1,200 years ago, showing long-distance contact and cultural inclusion.

Modern Bo people derive a large part of their ancestry from ancient hanging coffin practitioners.
Hanging coffin groups share genetic links with coastal Neolithic southern East Asians, ancestral to Tai-Kadai and Austronesian speakers.
Northeast Asian and Yellow River farmer ancestry appeared in hanging coffin communities over 1,200 years ago, indicating long-range interaction and cultural inclusivity.

Sample interpretation

The study analyzed 15 ancient individuals from Chinese hanging coffin sites. Y-chromosome haplogroups were resolved for 8 males, dominated by O lineages (O-Z39489, O-Z24083, O-Z23341, O-TY11221, O-M95) plus one D-Z41207 and one N-BY54274. Mitochondrial DNA included G3a1c (3), F1f (3), D5a2a1 (2), C (1), and N9a3 (1). These lineages are common in southern East Asia and suggest diverse maternal and paternal origins.

For genealogy enthusiasts

For ancestry enthusiasts, this study shows that the Bo people are not a lost mystery but have living descendants. It also reveals that the hanging coffin tradition connected diverse peoples across China and Southeast Asia, with unexpected Northeast Asian and Yellow River farmer contributions. This highlights how ancient DNA can trace cultural practices and population interactions.

Abstract

The Hanging Coffin represents a distinctive mortuary tradition practiced across southern China, Southeast Asia (e.g., the Log Coffin), and the Pacific approximately 3,000 years. Historical records attribute this funerary practice to the Bo people, a group that largely disappeared from documented history by the end of the Ming Dynasty (1,368–1,644 AD). Here we report eleven ancient genomes from four Hanging Coffin sites in China, alongside thirty whole genomes from the extant Bo people in Southwest China. We also sequence four ancient genomes from Log Coffin sites in northwestern Thailand. Our findings indicate that present-day Bo people derive a substantial proportion of their ancestry from practitioners of the Hanging Coffin mortuary tradition. Both ancient and modern groups exhibit elevated genetic affinity with coastal Neolithic populations from southern East Asia, who are ancestral to Tai-Kadai and Austronesian speakers. Unexpectedly, we also find evidence of long-range interactions and cultural inclusivity between Northeast Asian and Yellow River farmers and Hanging Coffin communities over 1,200 years ago. Finally, shared genetic components between Hanging (Log) Coffin populations in China and Thailand point to a common origin and a broader genetic and cultural network underlying this distinctive mortuary tradition across southern China and Southeast Asia.

Samples & Data on TheYtree

15samples on site

8Y haplogroup resolved

Paternal (Y-DNA) Haplogroups

Haplogroup	Samples
O-Z39489	2
N-BY54274	1
O-TY11221	1
O-M95	1
O-Z24083	1
O-Z23341	1
D-Z41207	1

Maternal (mtDNA) Haplogroups

G3a1c · 3 F1f · 3 D5a2a1 · 2 B4a1c4 · 1 R11'B6 · 1 C · 1 N9a3 · 1 N/A · 1 B4c2c · 1 F3a1 · 1

Sample Highlights More samples →

Sample	Y-DNA	mtDNA	Culture / Period
DSG_10	N-BY54274	B4a1c4	悬棺文化Hanging Coffin· 660±30 BP
DSG_4.dam	D-Z41207	B4c2c	悬棺文化Hanging Coffin· 660±30 BP
WXWS2	O-Z23341	R11'B6	悬棺文化Hanging Coffin· 1240±65 BP
WXLM1.dam	O-Z39489	D5a2a1	悬棺文化Hanging Coffin· 1070±60 BP
WXLM2	O-Z39489	F3a1	悬棺文化Hanging Coffin· 1070±60 BP
GXBS1	O-Z24083	G3a1c	悬棺文化Hanging Coffin· 2490±30 BP
GXBS2	O-M95	G3a1c	悬棺文化Hanging Coffin· 2490±30 BP
BK_737	O-TY11221	D5a2a1	悬棺文化Hanging Coffin