The disciplines known as Sinology in Europe and Hanhak 漢學 in East Asia followed distinct trajectories, each developing unique characteristics within their respective regions. However, they have eventually converged into a unified field of scholarship known as Chinese studies.
The universal learning of Chinese Hanhak in East Asia found acceptance and appropriation in Korea, Japan and Vietnam. Notably, Korea developed a self-sufficient Hanhak by the late Choson period, but it lacked the vitality necessary for succession by modern scholarship. Western missionaries, over several generations since the 17th century, studied Chinese Hanhak and laid the foundation for European Sinology. The development of European Sinology can be characterized by keywords such as “missionary works,” “commerce and diplomacy,” “transnational,” “scholarship,” and “ups and downs.” European Sinology, for the first time, found acceptance in Japan in the late 19th century, transforming the East Asian Hanhak from a universal scholarship into a regional focused solely on China. Unlike Europe, where transnationalism played a crucial role in Sinology’s development, it was challenging for East Asia to witness such interchange by the end of the 19th century. However, the Japanese critical reflection on Hanhak as a regional study undoubtedly owed much to the influence of transnationalism from European Sinology.
There is not a humanities discipline such as Sinology or Chinese studies that shares strong interests between Europe and East Asia.