Abstract: Objective To study the physical characteristics of Cantonese Han people. Methods In Maoming area of Guangdong province, eighty-three physical characteristics of 454 urban adults (195 males and 257 females) and 839 rural adults (347 males and 492 females) of Han were investigated. Twenty-four physical indices and their distributions were calculated and analyzed. Results The percentage of the eye fold of the upper eyelid and the percentage of the mongoloid fold were low. The eye slits were thin, and in direction of them, external angles were mostly higher than internal angles. The nasal root height was of medium-type. The nasal profile was straight. The nasal base was level. The height and breadth of alae nasi and the height of the upper lip skin were of medium-type. The maximal diameter of nostrils was horizontal. Thickness of lips was thin. Hair color was black and eye color was black brown or brown. Skin color was darker for males than that of females. Typical physical characteristics of Cantonese Han in Guangdong were mesocephalic types and hypsicephalic, leptocephalic,mesorrhiny, mesoprosopy or leptoprosopy, long trunk, subbrachyskelic type to mesatiskelic type. In addition, males were medium chest circumference, medium or broad distance between iliac crests, and females were broad chest circumference and narrow distance between iliac crests. Regarding the typical stature, the urban men were high-sized stature, the rural men were medium or sub-middle stature, and females were sub-middle stature. Conclusion The physical characteristics of Cantonese Han people in Guangdong are close to that of the Han people in Jiangxi with part of physical characteristics of the North ethnic groups.

Key words: Guangdong, Cantonese, Physical Characteristics, Anthropometry, Han