In the vast history of history, there are always legends and records that arouse people's desire to explore the truth. Among them, the topic of whether the Japanese are descendants of the Chinese has always been a matter of opinion, leading to reverie.
After Qin Shi Huang unified the Six Kingdoms, he ambitiously pursued immortality. Under his orders, Xu Fu led a large fleet of ships, carrying countless treasures and virgins, and embarked on an adventure in search of the elixir of life. This legend has left a strong mark in the "Historical Records", and also left endless reverie for future generations. Legend has it that Xu Fu eventually arrived in Toei, now Japan, and founded a new kingdom there.
This legend is widely spread among Japanese people, and even some Japanese politicians believe in it. Lu Tianzi, the former cabinet of Japan, proudly claimed that he was a descendant of Xu Fu, and went to China many times to find his roots and ask his ancestors. However, the truth of history is often more complex than the legend.
From the perspective of height as a physiological characteristic, the average height of ancient Japanese was much lower than that of Chinese in the same period. According to historical records, the average height of men in ancient Japan was only about 1.4 meters, while the average height of Chinese soldiers in the Qin and Han dynasties reached 1.77 meters during the same period. This apparent height difference makes the argument that the Japanese are descendants of the Chinese seem untenable.
From the perspective of national character, former US President Franklin D. Roosevelt made a sharp assessment of the character of the Japanese nation. He believed that the Japanese nation was the most despicable and shameless nation he had ever seen. This evaluation may be subjective, but it also reflects certain characteristics of the Japanese national character from one side. In contrast, the Chinese nation has always regarded itself as a country of etiquette, focusing on morality, ethics and humanistic care. This difference in personality also makes it difficult to establish the claim that the Japanese are descendants of the Chinese.
In addition, scientific genetic traceability analysis also provides strong evidence for this problem. According to research, less than 1% of the contemporary Japanese population belong to the descendants of immigrants from ancient China. This conclusion reveals the essential difference between Japanese and Chinese from a genetic perspective.
Therefore, we can conclude that the Japanese are not descendants of the Chinese. Although the legend of Xu Fu has added a touch of mystery to the relationship between China and Japan, the truth of history is far more complex than the legend. The Japanese nation has its own unique origin and development process, and their culture, history and national character are significantly different from China.
Of course, this does not mean that there is no exchange and influence between China and Japan. In fact, China and Japan have a long history of exchanges, whether in culture, art, science and technology. This kind of exchange and influence is a two-way street, both China's influence on Japan and Japan's influence on China.