It might seem that this story is not true, yet it really happened. In a certain small village in China, almost half of its inhabitants are people affected by dwarfism. The problem appeared suddenly and continues to this day. Scientists are constantly trying to unravel this puzzle, and over the years many conjectures have emerged.
Unique Village
This is most likely the only such place on earth, so no one should be surprised by the interest and desire to solve the mystery. The mysterious dwarf village in Yangsi is a phenomenon on a global scale. It is inhabited by only 80 people, of which 36 are dwarfs. Reaching the truth is not easy, and the real cause has still not been established.
Dwarfism is a growth deficiency that can be caused by a lack of growth hormone. It is not a common condition and affects 1 in 20,000 people.
So how is it possible that in one village almost half the population are dwarfs? The shortest of the residents is 63 centimeters tall, and the tallest is 116 centimeters tall.
How Did It Begin?
Some sources indicate that it all began over 60 years ago. Suddenly, completely unexpectedly, children living in Yangsi stopped growing. They were then no more than seven years old and later did not grow even a centimeter. The story does not end there, but from that time this place began to be called the dwarf village.
Scientists and experts were shocked by the entire situation, so the search for a cause began. Many hypotheses emerged, but the vast majority of them focused on environmental elements. Soil, water, and wheat were tested. Unfortunately, nothing could be established, although for a long time it was believed that the cause might be a high level of mercury in the soil.
The dwarfism that affected the inhabitants of the Chinese village did not concern only one generation but all subsequent ones as well. In this way, the possibility of some one-time incident’s influence was ruled out. Establishing the cause proved extremely difficult not only due to the unprecedented situation but also because of the Chinese authorities.
Problem with Reaching the Truth
The dwarf village is heavily isolated from the rest of the world. Everyone knows of its existence, but even scientists have problems getting there, so research progress is minimal. Ordinary citizens of other countries have a complete entry ban. All this shrouds the dwarf village in even greater mystery and makes it very interesting for many people.
Even the moment when this strange „plague” appeared is not fully determined. Some collected documents confirm the appearance of dwarfs as early as 1911, though it is not known how it actually was. Of course, everywhere there is some unexplained mystery, conspiracy theories also appear, which are far from the truth.
Some people claim that it is punishment for unworthy burial of ancestors. Others spread rumors about the negative influence of inappropriate land development contrary to feng shui principles. The most interesting hypothesis assumes that a certain black turtle is to blame for everything, or rather the people who killed and ate it despite prohibitions and warnings. There is no doubt that all these invented causes deviate greatly from the truth, which unfortunately has still not been established.
