'Distant relative' of Monkey King seeks DNA test

A woman requested DNA tests January 6 to bolster her claim that she is a direct descendant of the mythical Monkey King.

The Beijing resident announced her unlikely lineage on her Sina Weibo microblog after relatives showed her two family heirlooms - an ancient rock and a clump of fur.

Experts at Shanghai's Fudan University, however, refused her request, explaining she did not have sufficient materials to conduct a DNA test.

"This is just an ordinary rock and cannot prove anything, while the hairs must be first tested whether they are from a primate before further tests are conducted," said Li Hui, a professor at the School of Life Sciences at Fudan University. "But even then a DNA test would not prove a relationship," Li added.