As demand for genetic testing grows in China, start-up 23Mofang can now tell if you have royal blood

It is a tantalising promise: for 449 yuan (US$64) and a saliva sample, Chinese genetic testing company 23Mofang can extract your DNA and genotype it to provide a comprehensive report that includes ancestral information, hereditary disease risks and traits like alcohol tolerance level. But what sets 23Mofang apart from other consumer genetic testing providers in the market is that it can determine if you are a descendant of ancient Chinese royalty.

The company, for example, estimated that 1.81 per cent or about 25.3 million of China’s existing population are descendants of Liu Bang, who went on to become Emperor Gaozu of Han – founder of a dynasty that spanned more than four centuries.

“When we first did some market research on whether Chinese consumers wanted to get their genes tested, people thought that it was primarily for paternity tests, to check if their children are biologically theirs,” said Zhou Kun, co-founder and chief executive of 23Mofang, in an interview at the firm’s headquarters in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province in western China.

“Genetic testing is now starting to get a bit more popular … and users realise that they can benefit by gaining a better understanding of their health and heritage.”

To say that the genetic testing market has grown rapidly over the past decade is an understatement. The costs of direct-to-consumer genetic testing has come down in recent years, and US companies like 23andMe and AncestryDNA offer test kits for as low as US$99.

At the start of this year, an estimated 26 million consumers have taken tests provided by genetic testing providers, according to a report by the MIT Technology Review. It said more people bought tests in 2018 than in all previous years combined.