The Sinology boom

The largest international gathering of Sinologists earlier this week in Beijing along with more than 100 dissertations on various aspects of research sends the message that China is increasingly attracting the world's attention.

Of course a country with one-fifth of the world's population and a history of more than 5,000 years has never been ignored. But Sinologists' focus has widened.

When the country was weak and bullied by Western powers, Sinologists' curiosity rarely extended beyond interest in ancient culture and history.