Sinophile

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Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, a 17th-18th century German polymath who made significant contributions in many areas of physics, logic, history, librarianship, and studied numerous aspects of Chinese culture

A Sinophile is a person who demonstrates a strong interest in aspects of Chinese culture or who shows a specific interest in the Greater China region. It is also commonly used to describe those knowledgeable of Chinese history and culture (such as scholars and students), non-native Chinese language speakers, pro-Chinese politicians, and people perceived as having an obsessive interest in any of the above.

1 Typical interests of Sinophiles
2 Notable Sinophiles
3 See also

[edit] Typical interests of Sinophiles

Chinese languages (typically Mandarin or Cantonese)^{[citation needed]}
Martial Arts, such as variants of Kung fu^{[citation needed]}
Chinese calligraphy and art^{[citation needed]}
Chinese horoscopes^{[citation needed]}
Ancient art of feng shui - Daoism^{[citation needed]}
Zen Buddhism^{[citation needed]}
Traditional cultural Chinese clothing Hanfu and modern cultural Chinese clothing Qipao^{[citation needed]}
On occasion, Sinophiles can also denote a sexual preference for Chinese or Asian partners. The term can be used to describe men or women but is more frequently used to describe men (particularly Caucasian men) occasionally being used as a synonym for those displaying a real or perceived Asian fetish. The term is not inherently offensive as "yellow fever."^{[citation needed]}
Chinese tea culture

[edit] Notable Sinophiles

[edit] Italy

Matteo Ricci (利瑪竇 or 利玛窦), Jesuit priest; fluent in Chinese^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Germany

Gottfried Leibniz, German polymath who was fascinated with Confucius and I Ching^{[citation needed]}

[edit] United States

Pearl S. Buck ( 賽珍珠 or 赛珍珠), who wrote many novels about China.^{[citation needed]}
Anson Burlingame, ex-U.S. Congressman, who was appointed in 1861 to be the United States minister in China. He was an unabashed Sinophile, who was a voice of conciliation and moderation within the Western diplomatic community.^{[citation needed]}