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 non-Chinese 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.

On occasion, Sinophiles also 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 like yellow fever is.

Some typical interests of Sinophiles are as follows:

Chinese languages (typically Mandarin or Cantonese)
Martial Arts, such as variants of Kung fu
Chinese calligraphy and art
Chinese horoscopes
Ancient art of feng shui - Daoism
Zen Buddhism
Traditional cultural Chinese clothing Hanfu and modern cultural Chinese clothing Qipao
Traditional style Chinese restaurants (or Chinese restaurants in general, including the varieties that show up in the West)

[edit] Notable Sinophiles

Matteo Ricci
Robert Morrison (missionary)
Gottfried Leibniz, who was fascinated with Confucius and I Ching.
Pearl S. Buck, who wrote many novels about China.
Kevin Rudd, the Prime Minister of Australia, who majored in Chinese language and Chinese history in university and speaks fluent Mandarin. He also adopted a Chinese name.
Joseph Needham, a British biochemist best known for his works on the history of Chinese science.
Matthew Pankhurst, a world renowned English scholar infamous for his studies of the Chinese language, cullture, and woman.
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.