Chinese young tall women

Dante Wong

Lead Writer (Games) Sep 7

Why did I see some Chinese young tall women (about 6 feet tall/1.83) when I visited Canada? Are those women mixed race/ethnicity, or do they get tall because of good nutrition?

Hi, Norberto. Thanks for the interesting question.

Those young women you saw were all likely to have been “un-mixed” Chinese (is there a better way to say this?)

Young women in China have been getting taller over the years, due to access to more food and better nutrition.

Still, 183 cm would be very much above average.

Even in Shandong province, famed for having the tallest people in China, where the average height for young women is said to be around 170 cm, a height of 183 cm for a young woman would be a tad rare.

I live in Chengdu, Sichuan, and Sichuan locals aren’t known for being particularly tall (relatively)

I’m 183 cm and when I take the metro to work or join the vast throngs of people who go shopping and having fun on the weekends, maybe 1 in every 40 or 50 young woman I see is around my height or taller.

The ones that are taller than I am are almost always the Post-2000s babies.

In Shandong and Beijing, it feels like it’s every 1 in 25, maybe 1 in every 20.

Uncommon-to-a-tad-rare but not exactly super rare ala unicorn-in-the-forest.

I feel like when we’re in the metro, it’s easier to gauge when you’re not standing next to them, because you can see where the top of their head comes to when they’re standing and compare that to where the top of your own head comes to.

It’s like a little game I play with myself when I people-watch - is this woman taller than I am? :D

In Shandong and Beijing, there are a lot more “yes‘s” !

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Definitely 200 cm or above:

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This young woman is 200 cm.

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For the top of her head to touch that bar and a bit more, should be 187 - 188 cm:

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Somewhere between 195 to 200 cm:

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Should be around 178 cm:

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This young woman (furthest left) is 188 cm:

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Should be around 180 - 182 cm:

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Should be around 185 - 186 cm:

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Should be around 186 - 188 cm:

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Judging from the gap above her head, she should be around 185 - 186 cm:

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Conclusion:

The young and tall Chinese women you saw were most likely “un-mixed” Chinese.

Access to more food and better nutrition has resulted in Chinese women shooting up in height over the last 20, 30, 40 years.