Abstract: An anthropological study of 187 male and 166 female Daurs (aged 20-60 years) living in Melidawa Banner, Inner Mongolia was carried out in July 1993. Eight observational items and 33 measurements were investigated.
The results can be summarized briefly as follows:
1. The physical characters of Daurs: The average stature of male is 169.4 cm, and that of female is 157.1 cm. They belong to the ultramedium type in both sexes. The arm span is longer than the stature in male and equal in female. The head belongs to brachycephaly, hypsicephaly and metriocephaly. The morphological facial index belongs to mesoprosopy and euruprosopy for male and female respectively. Mongolian fold is absent in about three fourths in male and half in female. Double eyelids are manifested in high percentage. Nose is low in most females. The nasal bridge is straight and the nasal index belongs to mesorrhing. The indices of bodily part belong to lanstamming, mittelbrusty, mittelschultrig and mittelbecking.
2. The comparison shows that during the past 58 years the stature of male Daurs increased by 3.8 cm with an increasing rate of 0.7 cm each decade. The other metrical values of bodily part have also increased obviously, but most of the metrical values of cephalofacial part and the indices of bodily part have no significant difference in comparison with the data of the past for more than half a century.
3. The level of the physique and the development of subcutaneous fat of urban Daurs are better than those in rural area.

Key words: Somatoscopy; Anthropometry; Longitudinal study; Daur nationality