西方人最早对中国文化进行深入系统的学习、研究和传介的是一批教会人士。早在明末清初时期来华的许多传教士，为了传教的目的，学习了中文，进而认识了中国文化，并为之折服。他们回国后，将中国的许多典籍译成了西方文字，第一次引起了西方知识界的强烈兴趣和普通民众的好奇 The first Westerners to conduct an in-depth and systematic study of Chinese culture, research and introduction of a group of church people. Many missionaries who came to China in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties studied Chinese for the purpose of preaching, and then realized and admired the Chinese culture. After returning to China, they translated many Chinese books into Western languages, for the first time aroused the strong interest of the western intellectual circles and the curiosity of ordinary people