Sinology
Sinology is the study of
China using a combination of western and traditional Chinese methodologies, concepts, and theories. Some would date its origins as far back as
Marco Polo in the 13th century. The systematic study of China began in the 16th century, when
missionaries, notably
Matteo Ricci, introduced Christianity to China. Early sinological research often concentrated on the compatibility of Christianity with Chinese culture.
During
the Enlightenment, sinologists started to introduce Chinese philosophy, ethics, legal system, and aesthetics into the West. Though often unscientific and incomplete, this work inspired the development of
Chinoiserie and a series of debates comparing Chinese and Western cultures. At that time, sinologists sometimes described China as a enlightened kingdom, comparing it to Europe, which had just emerged from the
Dark Ages. Among those interested in China was Voltaire, French philosopher and writer who is known for his play
The Orphan of China (1758).
In the 18th and 19th centuries, other missionaries such as
James Legge (1815–1897) pushed for the establishment of sinology as a discipline in western universities. In 1837,
Samuel Kidd (1797–1843) became England's first professor of Chinese. Secular scholars gradually came to outnumber missionaries, and in the 20th century sinology slowly gained a substantial presence in Western universities. In modern history, Sinology has seen its influence in politics, due to its role in think tanks.
Though criticized by some, sinology remains the dominant mode for the academic study of China in the west.
Sino, derived from Sina, sino, qina, chin, possibly refers to the
Qin Dynasty, the first dynasty to unite China. See
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China#Terminology Etymology of China.
In China, sinology is often called 國學 (
Guóxué, National Studies) or
Han Studies (漢學). It is called 漢學 (kangaku) in
Japanese.
Britain
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Derek Bryan (1910-2003)
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Herbert Giles (1845-1935)
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James Legge (1815-1897), Scottish
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Joseph Needham (1900-1995)
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Edward Harper Parker (1849-1926)
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Thomas Francis Wade (1818-1895)
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Arthur Waley (1889-1966)
France
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Séraphin Couvreur (1835-1919)
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Paul Demiéville (1894-1979)
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Jacques Gernet*
Marcel Granet (1884-1940)
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François Julien*
Stanislas Julien (1797-1873)
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Henri Maspero (1883-1945)
Germany
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Hans Georg Conon von der Gabelentz (1807-1874)
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Otto Franke (1863-1946)
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Hans Steininger (1920-1990)
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Richard Wilhelm (1873-1930)
Japan
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Haneda Tōru (1882-1955)
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Ikeuchi Hiroshi (1878-1952)
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Kanda Kiichirō (1897-1983)
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Kuwabara Jitsuzo (1873-1931)
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Mikami Tsugio (1907-1987)
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Mori Shikazō (1906-1980)
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Naitō Kōnan (1866-1934)
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Niida Noboru (1904-1966)
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Nishijima Sadao (1919-1999)
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Ōbi Kōichi 小尾郊一*
Ono, Genmyō (1883-1939)
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Shiratori Kurakichi (1865-1942)
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Suzuki Torao 鈴木虎雄 *
Takakusu, Junjirō (1866-1945)
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Tsukamoto Zenryū (1898-1980)
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Yabuuchi Kiyoshi (1906-2001)
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Katō Shigeshi (1880-1989)
Russia
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Nikita Yakovlevich Bichurin (1775-1853)
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Pyotr Ivanovich Kafarov (1817-1878)
U.S.
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Herlee G. Creel (1905-1994)
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John DeFrancis (1911-)
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John K. Fairbank (1907-1991) 費正清, an acclaimed sinologist in history and poltics
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Ping Ti Ho, Chinese American
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Immanuel Hsu, Chinese American
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Ray Huang (1918-2000), 黃仁宇, American Chinese Historian
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Jonathan Spence 史景遷, UK-born Historian
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Paul Linebarger*
Perry Link*
Peter Lorge*
Victor Mair*
Thomas Metzger*
Karl A. Wittfogel, German American
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Jean-Pierre-Abel Rémusat*
John W. Garver*
Monty Pickren*
Scott D. Gerner (1983-) 3 Kingdoms period specialist
Others
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Jerome Ch'en (1919-), Canadian
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Rafe de Crespigny (1936-), Australian
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J.J.L. Duyvendak*
Bernhard Karlgren, Swedish
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Simon Leys, Belgian
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Erwin Ritter von Zach, Austrian
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Edwin G. Pulleyblank, Canada
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Léon Vandermeersch*
Wang Gungwu, Singaporean
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Verka Modanu, Macedonian
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Hans H.A. Bielenstein, Swedish
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Honey, David B. Incense at the Altar: Pioneering Sinologists and the Development of Classical Chinese Philology. New Haven: American Oriental Society, 2001. (See also E.G.Pulleyblank's important
review of this book.)
*
"The Politics of Permission: Sources and Interpretations In the Scholarship on the Early Years of the PRC" (Brent Haas) at Studies of Modern Chinese History: Reviews and Historiographical Essays (
University of California, San Diego, USA).
