I am a little surprised by the east-west dichotomy suggested through genetics. The most plausible theory today about the origin of man points to a late divergence, after, not before, the rise of homo erectus and homo sapiens neanderthalensis. In fact, the genetic contribution of neanderthals to modern eurpean gene pool is thought to be no more than 5%.
I am also a little surprised that east-west dichotomy is defined as China vs. Europe, to the exclusion of Middle East and Persia (save the first bit where Mesopotamia-Egypt had to be mentioned). And let's not forget India, which essentially defined the religious landscape of China for almost 1,500 years. Surely their contribution to the world civilization at large is just as impressive as the others? Surely no story of world civilization can be complete without taking into account centers of civilizations everywhere, as opposed to a limited survey?
