Some hanging coffins. Credit: Xiao-Ming Zhang

In a recent study, researcher Dr. Hui Zhou and his colleagues conducted a genetic analysis of the genomes of individuals associated with the ancient Hanging Coffin tradition in Southeast and Southern Asia. In addition, they sequenced the genomes of modern-day Bo people to determine their genetic relationship to the ancient Hanging Coffin practitioners.

Their work is published in the journal Nature Communications.

The Hanging Coffin practitioners

Some of the earliest Hanging Coffins have been found in southeastern China in the Wuyi mountains of Fujian Province. Radiocarbon dated to around 3445 ± 150 and 3370 ± 80 BP, their timing coincides with the arrival of the first farmers within the region. From here, it is believed the practice spread to surrounding regions, including Yunnan, Sichuan, Hunan, Thailand, and Taiwan.

The practice involved carrying wooden coffins with the remains of the deceased up onto steep cliff sides, caves, and rock crevices typically located near riverbanks, mountains, or coastlines.

The Bo people were among the practitioners of this practice, also referred to in regional folklore as the "Subjugators of the Sky" and "Sons of the Cliffs," with some stories even claiming they had the ability to fly.

According to Dr. Xiaming Zhan, one of the authors of the study, how the Bo managed to place their coffins in these precarious locations remains uncertain.

"Based on syntheses from Chinese archaeological reports and regional museum displays, scholars generally accept three main hypotheses for how coffins were placed on cliff faces:

• a) Scaffolding method. [Here] Temporary wooden scaffolds were likely erected using logs and crossbeams. This method would allow individuals to carry and insert the coffins or beams into pre-carved notches or holes in the cliff.
• b) Rope-lowering or raising system. [Here] Large hemp or rattan ropes, possibly with pulley systems, could have been used to lower coffins from the top of the cliff or raise them from below, depending on geography. This is more feasible on steep overhanging cliffs or vertical faces where scaffolding is impractical.
• c) Rock ledge or trail access. In some locations (e.g., Yunnan and Guangxi), natural ledges or man-made trails may have allowed access to shelf-like recesses, especially where the cliff is not vertical. Coffins could be dragged or carried along these paths and slid into place horizontally."

However, the Bo people and the practice of hanging coffins largely disappeared from historical records during the Late Ming Dynasty due to persecution, forcing the remaining Bo to flee to neighboring regions, where they likely integrated into local cultures.

Ancient Hanging Coffin practitioner DNA

Today, Bo descendants are known to live in the Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture of Yunnan Province, represented by 42 natural villages.

For the study, the DNA of 32 modern Bo were analyzed, though nine needed to be excluded due to close kinship, leaving 21 for comparison. In addition, the study analyzed 14 ancient Hanging Coffin genome samples from multiple archaeological sites across Southeast China and northern Thailand.

Population structure of Hanging Coffin and Bo individuals. Credit: Nature Communications (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-65264-3

The analysis revealed that the ancient Hanging Coffin populations, especially from the Yunnan and Guangxi sites, were genetically very similar to one another and to ancient coastal populations of southeastern China.

The results reinforce the idea that the earliest Hanging Coffin tradition likely originated in the southeastern coastal regions of China, such as Mount Wuyi, before spreading into southern China and mainland Southeast Asia.

This spread may have been facilitated by male migration. The researchers observed that the genomes of the Thailand Log Coffin people had very little mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) passed on from the Hanging Coffin populations.

As mtDNA is only passed down through the maternal line, this suggests that the Hanging Coffin ancestry was spread by men who migrated from southern China into Southeast Asia. Here, they married local women, while also allowing for the spread of the Hanging Coffin tradition.

Modern Bo and future research

Additionally, the genome of the modern-day Bo indicated they inherited their primary ancestry from these ancient Hanging Coffin practitioners. This was supported by the large number of drift alleles (random fluctuations in the number of gene variants in a population) these modern populations shared with the Hanging Coffin practitioners of Yunnan.

Many future avenues of research are being explored to better understand the Bo and the wider practice of hanging coffins, explains Dr. Zhang.

"We envision a comprehensive multi-omics program combining isotope geochemistry, ancient proteomics, high-resolution dating, and deeper genomic inference to reconstruct not just where Hanging Coffin populations came from, but how they lived, moved, ate, interacted, and remembered their dead. Such work promises to refine models of ethnic continuity, migration, and ritual behavior in ancient East and Southeast Asia."

Written for you by our author Sandee Oster, edited by Sadie Harley, and fact-checked and reviewed by Robert Egan—this article is the result of careful human work. We rely on readers like you to keep independent science journalism alive. If this reporting matters to you, please consider a donation (especially monthly). You’ll get an ad-free account as a thank-you.

More information: Hui Zhou et al, Exploration of hanging coffin customs and the bo people in China through comparative genomics, Nature Communications (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-65264-3

© 2025 Science X Network

Citation: DNA confirms modern Bo people are descendants of ancient Hanging Coffin culture (2025, December 6) retrieved 6 December 2025 from https://phys.org/news/2025-12-dna-modern-bo-people-descendants.html

This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.