Cultural exchange between China and other countries in the sense of an exchange between equal partners has a short history. Cultural contacts between China and its neighboring countries have played an important role for China, but countries that were further away did not become important until the arrival of Christian missionaries (Christianity). In this regard, China's interest in the culture of foreign countries was low, whereas information on Chinese culture was received with great interest in Europe (China, images of).

Owing to the military intrusions of Western powers …