Curly-Haired Chinese

* Re “Digging for Romans in China,” Aug. 24: There is a better explanation for the curly hair and light eyes of the residents of Zhelaizhai in northwest China. Sometime in the middle of the second century BC, the Hong (or Khong) clan in northwest China was defeated by the ancestors of Attila the Hun, resulting in an exodus of the Hong people to an area outside of China proper, in today’s Uzbekistan. Ancient Chinese maps show a Hong (Khong) kingdom or territory in that region. The Hongs eventually moved back to China as traders, healers and musicians during the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907), bringing back with them non-Chinese physical characteristics as a result of intermarriage with people of that region.

While the above story is part family legend and part historical record, some of my siblings and relatives bear witness to the theory with their curly hair, Middle Eastern eyes and Roman noses.

LAWRENCE K. HONG

Professor of Sociology

Cal State L.A.

*

Thanks so much for the Henry Chu articles on China’s Gansu province (Aug. 23-24). Having visited there recently, we are aware of the immense historical significance of the area. Chu’s stories bring it alive.

MITCHELL TENDLER

GENE TENDLER

San Diego