Sinicization,
sinicisation,
sinofication, or
sinification, , also called
chinalization , is a process whereby non-Han Chinese societies come under the influence of
Han Chinese state and society. Areas of influence include alphabet, diet, economics, industry,
language, law, lifestyle, politics, religion, sartorial choices, technology,
culture, and cultural values. More broadly, "Sinicization" may refer to policies of acculturation, assimilation, or cultural imperialism of neighbouring cultures to China, depending on historical political relations. This is reflected in the histories of
Korea,
Vietnam,
Taiwan and
Japan in the
East Asian cultural sphere, for example, in the
adoption of the Chinese writing system.