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Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
ProspectusDate rr_ProspectusDate May 31, 2011
MATTHEWS CHINA SMALL COMPANIES FUND (Prospectus Summary) | MATTHEWS CHINA SMALL COMPANIES FUND
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Risk/Return, Heading rr_RiskReturnHeading Matthews China Small Companies Fund
Investment Objective, Heading rr_ObjectiveHeading Investment Objective
investment Objective, Primary rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock 
Long-term capital appreciation
Expense, Heading rr_ExpenseHeading Fees and Expenses of the Fund
Expense, Narrative rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock 
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold
shares of this Fund.
Shareholder Fees, Caption rr_ShareholderFeesCaption SHAREHOLDER FEES (fees paid directly from your investment)
Operating Expenses, Caption rr_OperatingExpensesCaption ANNUAL OPERATING EXPENSES (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Portfolio Turnover, Heading rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading PORTFOLIO TURNOVER
Portfolio Turnover rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock 
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells
securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may
indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund
shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in
annual fund operating expenses or in the example of fund expenses, affect the
Fund's performance.
Other Expenses, New Fund, Based on Estimates rr_OtherExpensesNewFundBasedOnEstimates "Other Expenses" for the Fund are based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year.
Expense Example, Heading rr_ExpenseExampleHeading EXAMPLE OF FUND EXPENSES
Expense Example, Narrative rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock 
This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund
with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you
invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of
your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your
investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund's operating expenses
remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on
these assumptions your costs would be:
Investment Strategy, Heading rr_StrategyHeading Principal Investment Strategy
Investment Strategy, Narrative rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock 
Under normal market conditions, the Matthews China Small Companies Fund seeks to
achieve its investment objective by investing at least 80% of its total net
assets, which include borrowings for investment purposes, in the common and
preferred stocks of Small Companies (defined below) located in China and Taiwan.
China includes its administrative and other districts, such as Hong Kong. A
company is considered to be "located" in a country if it (i) is organized under
the laws of that country; (ii) derives at least 50% of its revenues or profits
from goods produced or sold, investments made, services performed, or has at
least 50% of its assets located within that country; (iii) has the primary
trading markets for its securities in that country; or (iv) is a governmental
entity or an agency, instrumentality or a political subdivision of that country.

The Fund intends to invest in smaller companies that Matthews believes have
growth prospects. Matthews determines whether a company should be considered to
be a small company based on the size of its revenues, number of employees, net
assets, the size and depth of its product line, level of development, and other
factors compared to other companies in its industry, sector or region ("Small
Companies"). The Fund shall not invest in any company that has a market
capitalization (the number of the company's shares outstanding times the market
price per share for such securities) higher than the greater of $3 billion or
the market capitalization of the largest company included in the Fund's primary
benchmark index if, at the time of purchase, more than 20% of the Fund's assets
are already invested in such companies. The largest company in the primary
benchmark, the MSCI China Small Cap Index, had a market capitalization of $2.5
billion on March 31, 2011. The Fund may continue to hold a security if its
market capitalization increases above these levels after purchase.
Risk, Heading rr_RiskHeading Principal Risks of Investment
Risk, Narrative rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock 
Political, Social and Economic Risks: The value of the Fund's assets may be
adversely affected by political, economic, social and religious instability;
inadequate investor protection; changes in laws or regulations; international
relations with other nations; natural disasters; corruption and military
activity. The economies of China, Hong Kong and Taiwan may differ from the
economies of other countries, especially developed economies, in many respects,
such as rate of growth, inflation, capital reinvestment, resource
self-sufficiency, financial system stability, the national balance of payments
position and sensitivity to changes in global trade.

Currency Risks: When the Fund conducts securities transactions in a foreign
currency, there is the risk of the value of the foreign currency increasing or
decreasing against the value of the U.S. dollar. The value of an investment
denominated in a foreign currency will decline in dollar terms if that currency
weakens against the dollar. While the Fund is permitted to hedge currency risks,
Matthews does not anticipate doing so at this time. Additionally, China may
utilize formal or informal currency-exchange controls or "capital controls."
Capital controls may impose restrictions on the Fund's ability to repatriate
investments or income. Such controls may also affect the value of the Fund's
holdings.

Volatility: The smaller size and lower levels of liquidity in emerging markets,
as well as other factors, may result in changes in the prices of Asian
securities that are more volatile than those of companies in more developed
regions. This volatility can cause the price of the Fund's shares (NAV) to go up
or down dramatically. Because of this volatility, it is recommended that you
invest in the Fund only for the long term (at least five years).

Risks Associated with Emerging Markets: Many Asian countries are considered
emerging markets. Emerging markets are often less stable politically and
economically than developed markets such as the United States, and investing in
emerging markets involves different and greater risks. There may be less
publicly available information about companies in emerging markets. The stock
exchanges and brokerage industries of emerging markets do not have the level of
government oversight as do those in the United States. Securities markets of
such countries are substantially smaller, less liquid and more volatile than
securities markets in the United States.

Trading Markets and Depositary Receipts: Asian securities may trade in the form
of depositary receipts, including American, European and Global Depositary
Receipts. Although depositary receipts have risks similar to the securities that
they represent, they may also involve higher expenses and may trade at a
discount (or premium) to the underlying security. In addition, depositary
receipts may not pass through voting and other shareholder rights, and may be
less liquid than the underlying securities listed on an exchange.

Risks associated with China, Hong Kong and Taiwan

China. The Chinese government exercises significant control over China's economy
through its industrial policies (e.g., allocation of resources and other
preferential treatment), monetary policy, management of currency exchange rates,
and management of the payment of foreign currency-denominated obligations.
Changes in these policies could adversely impact affected industries or
companies. China's economy, particularly its export-oriented industries, may be
adversely impacted by trade or political disputes with China's major trading
partners, including the U.S. In addition, as its consumer class emerges, China's
domestically oriented industries may be especially sensitive to changes in
government policy and investment cycles.

Hong Kong. If China were to exert its authority so as to alter the economic,
political or legal structures or the existing social policy of Hong Kong,
investor and business confidence in Hong Kong could be negatively affected,
which in turn could negatively affect markets and business performance and have
an adverse effect on the Fund's investments.

Taiwan. The continuing hostility between China and Taiwan may have an adverse
impact on the values of investments in either China or Taiwan, or make
investments in China and Taiwan impractical or impossible.

Risks Associated with Smaller Companies: Smaller companies may offer substantial
opportunities for capital growth; they also involve substantial risks, and
investments in smaller companies may be considered speculative. Such companies
often have limited product lines, markets or financial resources. Smaller companies
may be more dependent on one or few key persons and may lack depth of management.
Larger portions of their stock may be held by a small number of investors
including founders and management) than is typical of larger companies. Credit may
be more difficult to obtain (and on less advantageous terms) than for larger
companies. As a result, the influence of creditors (and the impact of financial
or operating restrictions associated with debt financing) may be greater than in
larger or more established companies. The Fund may have more difficulty obtaining
information about smaller companies, making it more difficult to evaluate the
impact of market, economic, regulatory and other factors on them. Informational
difficulties may also make valuing or disposing of their securities more difficult
than it would for larger companies.  Securities of smaller companies may trade less
frequently and in lesser volume than more widely held securities and the securities
of such companies generally are subject to more-abrupt or erratic price movements
than more widely held or larger, more-established companies or the market indices
in general. The value of securities of smaller companies may react differently to
political, market and economic developments than the markets as a whole or than
other types of stocks.
Bar Chart and Performance Table, Heading rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading Past Performance
Performance, Narrative rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock 
The Fund is new and does not have a full calendar year of performance or
financial information to present. Once it has been in operation a full calendar
year, performance (including total return) and financial information will be
presented. The Fund's primary benchmark index is the Morgan Stanley Capital
International ("MSCI") China Small Cap Index, which is a free float-adjusted
market capitalization-weighted small cap index of the Chinese equity securities
markets, including H shares listed on the Hong Kong Exchange, B shares listed on
the Shanghai and Shenzhen exchanges, and Hong Kong-listed securities known as
Red Chips (issued by entities owned by national or local governments in China)
and P Chips (issued by companies controlled by individuals in China and deriving
substantial revenues in China).
MATTHEWS CHINA SMALL COMPANIES FUND (Prospectus Summary) | MATTHEWS CHINA SMALL COMPANIES FUND | Investor Class Shares
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement over Assets, Date of Termination rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssetsDateOfTermination 2014-08-31
MATTHEWS CHINA SMALL COMPANIES FUND | Investor Class Shares
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Redemption Fee (as a percentage of amount redeemed on shares held fewer than 90 days) rr_RedemptionFeeOverRedemption (2.00%)
Management Fees rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 1.00%
Distribution (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets none
Administration and Shareholder Servicing Fees rr_Component1OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.14%
Other Expenses rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 1.99% [1]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 2.99%
Fee Waiver and Expense Reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets (0.99%) [2]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and Expense Reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 2.00%
Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 203
Expense Example, With Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 627
[1] "Other Expenses" for the Fund are based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year.
[2] Matthews has contractually agreed to waive fees and reimburse expenses until August 31, 2014 to the extent needed to limit Total Annual Operating Expenses to 2.00%. The amount of the waiver is based on estimated Fund expenses. The fee waiver may be terminated at any time by the Funds on 60 days' written notice.