China embraces a revolution in genetic testing, seeking answers on destiny and identity
BEIJING — It was from the news of American actress Angelina Jolie’s double mastectomy that Yang Yang learned it would be possible to have her DNA sequenced. A white-collar worker from Chongqing, a major city in southwest China, Yang admired her idol’s decision in 2013 to take her future into her own hands after a genetic test revealed a high risk of breast cancer.
Five years later, Yang has discovered that genetic testing services are not only available to Hollywood stars, but also to the average Chinese citizen. For RMB 299 ($43), she ordered a “Genetic Discovery Kit” from 23Mofang, the largest direct-to-consumer genetics testing company in China, spat into a test tube, and then returned it for analysis.
Two weeks later, Yang’s test results, displayed on a slick mobile phone app, informed her that she was
