Although the majority of Chinese are Han, there are many ethnic minorities in China. I don't know if the basketball players are from minorities or if the Han themselves vary greatly in height. Of course with a population of a couple of billion, you don't need a large percentage of unusually tall people to put together a basketball team.
The current generation of Japanese supposedly average several inches taller than their grandparents due to changes in diet. Still, even today, the average Asian is probably shorter than the average European or American, but they are probably taller than those little Italian and Spanish climbers in the Pro peleton, so there should be no physiolgical barrier to developing outstanding Asian cyclists. Maybe what is needed is for a large Japanese or Korean company to sponsor a team in Europe composed mostly of Japanese or Korean riders. That's what 7-11, then Motorola, then US Postal did to develop US cycling.
Regards,
Jerry Moos
Houston, TX
> Small stature is indeed a trait that most western folk associate with
Asian folk.
> But the Chinese run the whole range,and have for as long as I can
remember.
> I remember well the male table tennis stars being over 6' in the early
seventies.
> And of course that Giant Chinese man in the NBA.That is now though.But the
Chinese
> basketball teams were large way back when the Russians beat Amerika! in
about 1972?
> Best regards,
> Harris Spracher
> Waynesboro,Va.
>
>
>
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