Sinophile

This article is about the cultural affinity. For the fetish, see Asian fetish.

Not to be confused with Cinephilia.

A Sinophile is a person who demonstrates a strong interest for China, Chinese culture, Spoken Chinese, Chinese history, and/or Chinese people.^[1][2][3]

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

Sinophile
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	親華派/親華者
Simplified Chinese	亲华派/亲华者
Hanyu Pinyin	Qīn huá pài/Qīn huá zhě
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Qīn huá pài/Qīn huá zhě Wu Romanization Chin1 Gho6 Pha5 (tɕʰin53 ɦo23 pʰʌ34) Hakka Pha̍k-fa-sṳ Tshîn-fà-phai / Tshîn-fà-chá Yue: Cantonese Jyutping Can1 Waa4 Paai3 / Can1 Waa4 Ze2 Southern Min Hokkien POJ Chhin-hôa-phài / Chhin-hôa-chiá Tâi-lô Tshin-huâ-phài / Tshin-huâ-tsiá
Vietnamese name
Vietnamese alphabet	thân Trung Quốc, thân Trung Hoa, thân Tàu
Chữ Nôm	親中國, 親中華, 親艚
Japanese name
Kanji	支那贔屓（しなひいき）、シノファイル
Transcriptions Romanization Shina hīki, Shinofairu

Those with professional training and practice in the study of China are referred to as Sinologists.^[4]

Typical interests

The overall study of Chinese culture is referred to as Sinology. This could include Chinese culture architectural and fashion styles, such as including Traditional cultural Han Chinese clothing (Hanfu). Another area of Chinese culture is cuisine and liquor, such as Chinese wine culture and baijiu. Medicine, architecture, characters, language (and varieties such as Standard Chinese and Cantonese), are also areas of interest for Sinophiles. They also tend to be drawn towards Chinese astrology and horoscopes, as well as Feng Shui and Kung Fu. The history of China, Chinese philosophies and folk religions like Daoism, Chan Buddhism, and Confucianism are also topics of Sinology, as well as the Politics of China, socialism with Chinese characteristics, Dengism, Three Principles of the People, one country, two systems, the Mass Line. Chinese artwork is a topic of interest for many Sinophiles. The Chinese arts, encompass poetry, literature, music, calligraphy and cinema, as well as Chinese traditional forms of theatrical entertainment such as xiangsheng and operas.

Louis XIV, a 17th-century French monarch whose Grand Trianon, spread of Chinoiserie, centennial new year bash, and Confucian translations were influenced by Chinese culture

Notable Sinophiles

Europe

France

• Louis XIV, a 17th-century French monarch whose Grand Trianon, spread of Chinoiserie, centennial new year bash, and Confucian translations were influenced by Chinese culture.^[5]

Germany

• Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, a 17th German polymath loved Chinese culture and studied many aspects of it.

Italy

• Marco Polo (c. 1254-1324), Italian explorer who was one of the first Europeans to visit China and narrated about the nation in his travelogue, The Travels of Marco Polo^[6]
• Matteo Ricci (1552-1610), Italian Jesuit who was the first to translate the Confucian classics into Latin and taught European science to the Emperor and the Chinese literati^[7]

Russia

• Dmitri Mendeleev (1834-1907), Russian chemist and inventor^[8]
• Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910), Russian writer widely considered one of the world's greatest novelists^[8]

Oceania

Australia

• Paul Keating (born 1944), Prime Minister of Australia from 1991 to 1996^{[9][10][11][12]}
• Edwin Maher (born 1941), New Zealand-born Australian journalist who worked as a news reader for CCTV-9 until 2017, following a long career on Australian TV^{[citation needed]}
• Kevin Rudd (born 1957), Prime Minister of Australia from 2007 to 2010 and in 2013^[13][14][15]

North America

United States

• Allen Iverson (born 1975), former NBA star basketball player who has expressed affinity for the country^[16][17]
• Stephon Marbury (born 1977), former NBA star basketball player who joined the Beijing Ducks and has expressed affinity for the country^[18][19]
• James Veneris (1922-2004), US soldier who defected to China after the Korean War and remained in the country expressing positive feelings until his death in 2004^[20]

Asia

Cambodia

• Norodom Sihanouk (1922-2012), Cambodian king who sought refuge in China and praised the country^[21]

Thailand

• Sirindhorn (born 1955), Thai princess who has received awards in China for promoting friendship between the two countries^[22][23]

See also

• Old friends of the Chinese people
• Chinoiserie
• List of sinologists
• Taiwanese Wave
• Asiaphile
• Japanophile
• Francophile
• Russophile
• Indophile
• Anglophile
• Germanophile
• Graecophile
• Sinophobia
• Pro-Republic of China
• Anti-Indian sentiment

References

1. "Sino-, comb. form1". OED Online. Oxford University Press. June 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
2. "Definition of 'Sinophile'". Collins Dictionary. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
3. "Sinophile", The Free Dictionary, retrieved 23 June 2022
4. Zurndorfer, Harriet, "A Brief History of Chinese Studies and Sinology," in Zurndorfer, Harriet (1999). China Bibliography: A Research Guide to Reference Works About China Past and Present]. Honolulu: Brill; reprinted, University of Hawai'i Press. p. 4. ISBN 9004102787.
5. "Emperor Kangxi and The Sun King Louis XIV".
6. Mackerras, Colin (2000). Sinophiles and Sinophobes: Western Views of China [Literary anthologies of Asia]. United States: University of Michigan. ISBN 9780195918922.
7. Brook, Timothy (August 1986). "Reviewed Work: The Memory Palace of Matteo Ricci. by Jonathan D. Spence". JSTOR 2056104.
8. Alexander Lukin (2003). The Bear Watches the Dragon: Russia's Perceptions of China and the Evolution of Russian-Chinese Relations Since the Eighteenth Century. M.E. Sharpe. pp. 314–. ISBN 978-0-7656-1026-3.
9. "China wants to 'take over' Australian politics, former spy chief warns". South China Morning Post. 22 November 2019. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
10. "Paul Keating blasts Age and SMH for 'provocative' China war story | Paul Keating | The Guardian". amp.theguardian.com. 7 March 2023. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
11. "'Worst international decision': Australia's ex-PM blasts Aukus submarine deal". South China Morning Post. 15 March 2023. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
12. "Former Australian PM Paul Keating criticises Liz Truss over 'demented' China comments | Australia news | The Guardian". amp.theguardian.com. 24 January 2022. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
13. "Kevin Rudd goes to Harvard". The Sydney Morning Herald. 21 February 2014. Retrieved 14 March 2024. Former prime minister and noted sinophile Kevin Rudd will lead research on US-China relations at Harvard University.
14. Grubel, James (28 June 2013). "Australian PM Rudd urges China action on trade deal". Reuters. Retrieved 14 March 2023. Australia's Sinophile Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on Friday urged China - the country's largest trading partner - to conclude a stalled free trade deal, using his first news conference since regaining power to praise the current bilateral relationship.
15. Kerin, John (22 May 2011). "Kevin sees where Julia was blind". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 14 March 2024. The mandarin-speaking sinophile, Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd , was clearly in his element yesterday.
16. "Allen Iverson's Red-Hot Romance With China". Hashtag Legend. 2 January 2017. Archived from the original on 23 September 2021.
17. Gonzalez, John (11 March 2020). "Where Does Allen Iverson Fit In?". The Ringer.
18. "Marbury madness rivals Linsanity in China". Bangkok Post. March 2012.
19. Stephon Marbury discusses retiring and why he loves China, 11 February 2018, archived from the original on 22 December 2021, retrieved 21 December 2019
20. HENRY CHU (30 March 1999). "Expatriates' Long March Through China's History". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 24 February 2021.
21. Teddy Ng (October 2012). "Xi Jinping mourns 'China's great friend' Sihanouk". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 9 August 2020.
22. 京报网 (3 February 2022). "泰国公主诗琳通抵达北京，将出席北京冬奥会开幕式" [Princess Sirindhorn of Thailand arrives in Beijing and will attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics]. Toutiao. Archived from the original on 30 January 2023.
23. Jitsiree Thongnoi (22 September 2019). "Thailand's long-time Sinophile Princess Sirindhorn to receive China's Friendship Medal". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 30 December 2022.