DNA TESTING
DNA testing is critical to confirm matches and has become increasingly important to discovering birth family. Below, we list different DNA testing options and instructions for adoptees
When you’re searching for Chinese birth family members, it’s critically important to do an SNP (also called autosomal) DNA test through 23andMe and upload it to GEDmatch. Be sure to keep a record of names, birthdates, and login information, since any of it may be required as extra security questions.
Below we provide an overview of the different steps to take. ​We've also listed more information on SNP tests and STR tests.
SNP/Autosomal DNA Test
SNP/autosomal kits test the 22 numbered pairs of chromosomes. The test checks about 700,000 pairs of locations in a person’s SNP/autosomal DNA. Companies like 23andMe and AncestryDNA use SNP/autosomal tests. SNP stands for single nucleotide polymorphisms, or SNPs, pronounced snips.
STEP 1
Do one or both of these SNP/autosomal tests
23andMe
Most Chinese adoptees are in 23andMe, and you typically find more people of Chinese heritage in this database than any other American SNP company. 23andMe is a saliva test.
AncestryDNA
If you choose to, you can supplement your 23andMe test with AncestryDNA, another SNP test. Some adoptees have found Chinese relatives here, and adoptive families not involved in China-related Facebook groups may have also tested with AncestryDNA. This is a saliva test.
Optional Additional Test: MyHeritageDNA
MyHeritage is a swab test and a good alternative for those who can't generate enough saliva.
STEP 2
Download your 23andMe or AncestryDNA raw data and upload it to GEDmatch.
Important: No matter which SNP/autosomal test you do, be sure to upload your results to GEDmatch. As of December 2025, there are over 2,500 Chinese birth parents in GEDmatch, thanks to the work of DNAConnect, Nanchang Project, Roots of Love, and searchers in China.
GEDmatch
How-to Guide: Uploading 23andMe to Gedmatch
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Upload your raw data file to GEDmatch. This is free of charge and easy to do. GEDmatch accepts uploads from 23andMe, AncestryDNA, FamilyTreeDNA, and most others. You can also compare your own 23andMe and AncestryDNA results within GEDmatch. You may receive different matches from the two tests.
STEP 3
Upload your raw data to one or both Chinese commercial databases.
Upload your raw SNP/autosomal DNA to the two primary Chinese companies, 23mofang and WeGene. There have been at least two matches for adoptees through 23mofang, and both sites give you information about which provinces and cities have people genetically closest to you.
23Mofang
How-to Guide: Uploading DNA to 23mofang
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Accepts uploads for a fee (approx. $45 USD) from 23andMe and AncestryDNA. The database is kept in China and it can be a little challenging to use if you can’t read Chinese. You can use Google Chrome to translate.
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​Or an even better option: submitting blood samples
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How-to Guide: Submitting Blood Samples to 23mofang
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Submit a blood sample to 23mofang instead of uploading your raw data for a fee (approx. $100 USD). This process generally yields more and better matches.
Accepts uploads from 23andMe and AncestryDNA with payment through PayPal (199RMB or ~$30USD). The database is kept in China.
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Tip: Use the English site to create your account and upload your DNA data, but then use the Chinese site, with Google Chrome to translate, to see relative matches and additional information not visible on the English site.
STEP 4
Upload your raw data to additional US databases.
Also consider uploading your SNP/autosomal data to the following databases. These are all free and increase your chances of matching with more people.
FamilyTree DNA
Accepts free uploads from AncestryDNA and MyHeritageDNA. This is also a swab test and may be a good alternative to 23andMe or AncestryDNA for those who can't generate enough saliva.
Living DNA
Accepts free uploads from AncestryDNA, 23andMe, MyHeritageDNA, FamilyTreeDNA.
DON'T FORGET!
Please check your account(s) at least monthly for new matches!
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If you get a message or see a match that shows an identical twin or sibling, please check who the match is first. You could have accidently uploaded your/your child’s DNA twice.
STR/CODIS/Paternity DNA Test
Several databases only take results from STR (aka paternity/CODIS) tests, the most common DNA test in China right now. With a STR test, you will only find a match to someone close, like a parent or identical twin. Your best option is to add your DNA by mailing a dried blood sample on a test card, but some also accept test results from a commercial lab.
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Important: Since STR tests check far fewer markers than SNP/autosomal tests, it’s critical to be sure any matches are good ones. You can compare details like birthdates, where the samples are from, etc., and you can also ask the Chinese police to do a STR test on both parents, which would guarantee accuracy.
If the police won’t do a SNP/autosomal test, which many in the adoption community believe should be the only follow up, you can ask the birth parents or siblings to do a SNP/autosomal test for confirmation. This can be tricky to negotiate if you have just met for the first time.
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If you’re able to convince a parent or sibling, both DNAConnect and Nanchang Project will do a follow-up SNP/autosomal test for free. A bonus is that their test is also uploaded to GEDmatch, which may lead to matches for other adoptees.
STEP 1
Decide WHERE to add your STR DNA.
If you're in China
​​​​​If you're visiting China, you can leave a DNA sample at the Ministry of Public Security (police station); see a list of locations here. It's free, but the uploads haven’t always been reliable. And unfortunately, there’s no way for you to monitor or even see your data to know whether it was submitted.
​If You're Outside China
Method: dried blood sample card
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​Nanchang Project's National Reunion Database
Assistance Project
​​If you previously traveled to China and submitted a blood sample while there, you can ask Nanchang Project to check if there's a record of it by completing their check request form.​ ​Otherwise, you can submit a sample through Nanchang Project as well.
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Send your dried blood sample card directly to the family reunion police officer, and they will contact you in the event of a match. You’ll need to be sure your contact information is kept up to date so that the officer can reach you in the future. Follow the instructions below for Dried Blood Sample Card under Step 2 - Collect your STR / Paternity / CODIS DNA as needed.
Boys also have the option for a Y-DNA test through Nanchang Project. This is a secondary test, only available to male adoptees (assigned male at birth). The Y-DNA test is able to identify male relatives in the database, in addition to parent-to-child matches (standard test). This additional test increases your chances of being able to locate a close biological relative.​
Baby Come Home/Baobeihuijia
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How-to Guide: How to Search on Baby Come Home
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This is a Chinese website started by Chinese parents whose children were abducted or went missing (baobeihuijia.com). It has listings of Chinese birth parents looking for children, domestic Chinese adoptees looking for their birth parents, ads for lost adults, and internationally adopted children looking for birth parents. If you open the website in Google Chrome, you can automatically translate the site into English or other language of choice.
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To register with Baby Come Home, join the Facebook group Baby Home. Look in the files section of the Baby Home Facebook group for information on how to register.
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You can submit STR DNA to Baby Come Home on a dried blood sample card, but they do not have their own DNA database; they will add you to the China National Reunion Database for comparison.
In-China Volunteer Groups
Method: commercial lab results
There are also local volunteer groups in China with their own databases, such as one in Jiangyin (Jiangsu) and one for Zhejiang province. Check with the province search poster manager for your province to find out if they know of any in your area.
Help for Family Reunion (HFFR)
Method: commercial lab results
Email your STR DNA results to Help for Family Reunion, a private non-profit organization in China that has helped to reunite 800+ families since it was established in 2015. The database is kept in the U.S. Follow HFFR on Facebook to see new matches posted.
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E-mail the STR DNA info below to BeeHFFR@gmail.com​
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Name – SWI assigned name is OK (Indicate which name to use in the database, Chinese OR English)
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Photo of DNA results. You can remove your real name and address for privacy concerns.
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Date of birth
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Gender
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Current residing country
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Contact info – customized WeChat ID (don’t send WeChat QR code) preferred. Email is OK.
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Pictures (2) – 1 headshot and 1 full body preferred
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Adoption info – a few lines on where you were adopted, your finding place, your special physical features, etc.
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If you don’t get confirmation in a week, email again or WeChat meefengbz
STEP 2
Collect your STR/Paternity/CODIS DNA as needed.
Dried Blood Sample Card
The test involves putting some blood on a special blood collection card and mailing the dried blood to a family reunion police officer in China. Cost is minimal. Nanchang Project has instructions on their website. You can order the required card from one of their volunteers for $5-8 USD, and the cost to mail an envelope to China is about $20-$30 USD, although actual costs will vary depending on your location and chosen shipping company.
Follow the instructions on Nanchang Project's National Reunion Database page.
Commercial Lab STR/Paternity/CODIS Test
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LabCorp - USA, purchase the at-home single party test for $105. (New York residents can't order the at-home test, but will need to go to the local LabCorp office for the DNA test; cost is around $210.)
Consanguinitas - Netherlands, €149
PappaTest - Sweden, SEK 1,195
EasyDNA - based in UK, with worldwide offices, £99
