Later, sinological research spread from the hands of the missionaries into artistic and academic circles, and leading German literary figures such as Goethe (who wrote the poem cycle Chinese-German Hours and Seasons), Schiller, and famous scholars like the Humboldt brothers, became deeply interested in Chinese culture.
之後，漢學研究又從傳教士層面推廣到文藝、學術界，德國大文豪如歌德（曾作〈中德四季晨昏雜感〉詠嘆詩）、席勒和著名學者洪堡兄弟也對中國文化有濃厚興趣。