485BPOS

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 7, 2011

Securities Act of 1933 File No. 33-78960

Investment Company Act of 1940 File No. 811-08510

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, DC  20549

FORM N-1A

REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933	x
Pre-Effective Amendment No.	o
Post-Effective Amendment No. 51	x
and/or
REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940	x
Amendment No. 54

MATTHEWS INTERNATIONAL FUNDS

 (Exact name of registrant as specified in charter)

Four Embarcadero Center, Suite 550

San Francisco, CA  94111

(Address of Principal Executive Offices)

Registrant’s Telephone Number, including Area Code:  (415) 788-6036

William J. Hackett, President

Four Embarcadero Center, Suite 550

San Francisco, CA  94111

(Name and Address of Agent for Service)

Copies To:

David A. Hearth, Esq.

Paul Hastings LLP

55 Second Street

San Francisco, CA 94105

It is proposed that this filing will become effective

x         immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b)

o         on                          pursuant to paragraph (b)

o         60 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(1)

o         on                          pursuant to paragraph (a)(1)

o         75 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(2)

o         on                          pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) of Rule 485.

If appropriate, check the following box:

o         This post-effective amendment designates a new effective date for a previously filed post-effective amendment.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, the Registrant certifies that it meets all of the requirements for effectiveness of this registration statement under Rule 485(b) under the Securities Act and has duly caused this Post-Effective Amendment No. 51 to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereto duly authorized, in the City of San Francisco and State of California on the 7 day of December, 2011.

	Matthews International Funds
By	/s/ William J. Hackett
	William J. Hackett, President

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act, this Post-Effective Amendment No. 51 to the Registration Statement of Matthews International Funds has been signed below by the following persons on the 7 day of December, 2011, in the capacities indicated.

Signature		Capacity	Date
/s/ William J. Hackett		President and Principal Executive Officer	December 7, 2011
William J. Hackett
/s/ Shai Malka		Treasurer	December 7, 2011
Shai Malka
Geoffrey H. Bobroff*		Trustee	December 7, 2011
Geoffrey H. Bobroff
Jonathan Zeschin*		Trustee	December 7, 2011
Jonathan Zeschin
G. Paul Matthews*		Trustee	December 7, 2011
G. Paul Matthews
Rhoda Rossman*		Trustee	December 7, 2011
Rhoda Rossman
Toshi Shibano*		Trustee	December 7, 2011
Toshi Shibano
Richard K. Lyons*		Trustee	December 7, 2011
Richard K. Lyons
* By:	/s/ John McGowan
as Attorney-in-Fact and Agent pursuant to Power of Attorney

SCHEDULE OF EXHIBITS TO FORM N-1A

Matthews International Funds d/b/a Matthews Asia Funds

Exhibit Number	Exhibit
EX-101.INS	XBRL Instance Document
EX-101.SCH	XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document
EX-101.CAL	XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase
EX-101.DEF	XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase
EX-101.LAB	XBRL Taxonomy Extension Labels Linkbase
EX-101.PRE	XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase

XML

MATTHEWS ASIA STRATEGIC INCOME FUND (Prospectus Summary) | MATTHEWS ASIA STRATEGIC INCOME FUND

Matthews Asia Strategic Income Fund

Investment Objective

The Matthews Asia Strategic Income Fund (the "Strategic Income Fund" or the

"Fund") seeks total return over the long term, with an emphasis on income.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold

shares of this Fund.

SHAREHOLDER FEES (fees paid directly from your investment)

Shareholder Fees MATTHEWS ASIA STRATEGIC INCOME FUND	Investor Class	Institutional Class
Redemption Fee (as a percentage of amount redeemed on shares held fewer than 90 days)	2.00%	2.00%

ANNUAL OPERATING EXPENSES (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Annual Fund Operating Expenses MATTHEWS ASIA STRATEGIC INCOME FUND		Investor Class	Institutional Class
Management Fee		0.65%	0.65%
Distribution (12b-1) Fees		none	none
Administration and Shareholder Servicing Fees		0.15%	0.15%
Other Expenses	[1]	1.28%	1.13%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses		1.93%	1.78%
Fee Waiver and Expense Reimbursement	[2]	(0.53%)	(0.53%)
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and Expense Reimbursement		1.40%	1.25%

EXAMPLE OF FUND EXPENSES

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:

Expense Example MATTHEWS ASIA STRATEGIC INCOME FUND (USD $)	Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year	Expense Example, With Redemption, 3 Years
Investor Class	143	443
Institutional Class	127	397

PORTFOLIO TURNOVER

The Fund pays transaction costs 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.

Principal Investment Strategy

Under normal market conditions, the Strategic Income Fund seeks to achieve its

investment objective by investing at least 80% of its total assets, which

include borrowings for investment purposes, in income-producing securities

including, but not limited to, debt and debt-related instruments issued by

governments, quasi-governmental entities, supra-national institutions, and

companies in Asia. Investments may be denominated in any currency, and may

represent any part of a company's capital structure from debt to equity or with

features of both. Debt and debt-related instruments typically include bonds,

debentures, bills, notes, certificates of deposit and other bank obligations,

senior secured bank debt, convertible debt securities, credit-linked notes,

inflation-linked instruments, repurchase agreements, dividend paying equity

securities and derivative instruments with fixed income characteristics.



Asia includes the following countries: China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia,

Japan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka,

Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. Generally, a company will be considered located

in one of those countries if it is organized there, derives a majority of its

profits from there, has a majority of its assets there, or its securities

primarily trade there. Other considerations, such as headquarters location,

apply to supra-national and other types of entities. Instruments will be deemed

to be Asian securities if the issuer is headquartered in an Asian country, the

instrument is denominated in the currency of an Asian country, or the instrument

is issued with respect to a project located in, or secured or backed by assets

located in an Asian country, or is otherwise linked to an Asian country.



Up to 50% of the Fund's total assets may be invested in securities of issuers

from a single country (including the government of that country, its agencies,

instrumentalities and political subdivisions), and up to 25% of the Fund's total

assets, may be invested in the securities issued by any one Asian government

(including its agencies, instrumentalities and political subdivisions).



The Fund will not seek to limit its foreign currency exposure and may invest

without limitation in non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities and instruments.

The Fund reserves the right to hedge its exposure to foreign currencies to

reduce the risk of loss from fluctuations in currency exchange rates, but

normally does not expect to do so.



The Fund will typically engage in derivative transactions for a variety of

purposes, including managing interest rate, currency and credit exposure,

involving a variety of underlying instruments, including for example,

currencies, debt securities, securities indexes, futures and options on swaps

(commonly referred to as swaptions). In particular, the Fund may seek to take on

currency exposure by using derivatives such as currency forwards and, as a

result, the Fund's exposure to a currency could exceed the value of the Fund's

assets denominated in that currency and could exceed the value of the Fund's net

assets.



The Fund is permitted to invest in debt securities of any quality, including

high yield debt securities rated below investment grade (commonly referred to as

"junk bonds") and unrated debt securities. Under normal market conditions, the

Fund intends that at least 50% of its debt and debt-related securities shall be,

at the time of their purchase, rated investment grade by at least one

internationally recognized rating agency (such as Moody's, S&P or Fitch), or, if

unrated are deemed by Matthews to be of comparable credit quality. The Fund has

no stated maturity or duration target and the average effective maturity or

duration may change. Matthews has implemented risk management systems to monitor

the Fund to reduce the risk of loss through overemphasis on a particular issuer,

country or currency.



Matthews uses a fundamentals-based investment process to manage the Fund's

portfolio of fixed income investments, with a focus on risk-adjusted return.

Matthews' fixed income investment process includes six steps, with risk

management embedded into each step of the process, in order to identify and

capitalize on credit (including counterparty), interest rate (duration), and

currency opportunities and risks: The key steps include generating a range of

ideas for investments (sometimes referred to as the investable universe),

researching a smaller list within that range, selecting investments based on

that research, constructing a portfolio of selected investments based on overall

risk and other allocation considerations, monitoring the portfolio, and

analyzing the precise sources of risk and return from the investments already

made.

Principal Risks of Investment

Credit Risk: A debt instrument's price depends, in part, on the credit quality

of the issuer, borrower, counterparty, or underlying collateral and can decline

in response to changes in the financial condition of the issuer, borrower,

counterparty, or underlying collateral, or changes in specific or general

market, economic, industry, political, regulatory, geopolitical, or other

conditions.



Interest Rate Risk (including Prepayment and Extension Risks): Changes in

interest rates in each of the countries in which the Fund may invest, as well as

interest rates in more-developed countries, may cause a decline in the market

value of an investment. Generally, fixed income securities will decrease in

value when interest rates rise and when interest rates decline, the value of

fixed income securities can be expected to rise. As interest rates decline, debt

issuers may repay or refinance their loans or obligations earlier than

anticipated. The issuers of fixed income securities may, therefore, repay

principal in advance. This would force the Fund to reinvest the proceeds from

the principal prepayments at lower rates, which reduces the Fund's income.



Currency Risks: When the Fund invests in foreign currencies (directly or through

a financial instrument) or in securities denominated in a foreign currency,

there is the risk that the value of the foreign currency will increase or

decrease 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, Asian

countries 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. Capital controls may also affect the value of

the Fund's holdings.



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 of countries

within the Asian region (including countries in which the Fund invests, as well

as the broader region); international relations with other nations; natural

disasters; corruption and military activity. The Asian region, and particularly

China, Japan and South Korea, may be adversely affected by political, military,

economic and other factors related to North Korea. In addition, China's

long-running conflict over Taiwan, border disputes with many of its neighbors

and historically strained relations with Japan could adversely impact economies

in the region. The economies of many Asian countries differ from the economies

of more developed countries 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. Certain Asian countries are highly dependent upon and may be affected by

developments in the United States, Europe and other Asian economies.



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.



High-Yield Bonds and Other Lower-Rated Securities: The Fund's investments in

high-yield bonds ("junk bonds") and other lower-rated securities will subject

the Fund to substantial risk of loss. Issuers of junk bonds are less financially

secure and less able to repay interest and principal compared to issuers of

investment-grade securities. Prices of junk bonds tend to be very volatile.

These securities are less liquid than investment-grade debt securities and may

be difficult to price or sell, particularly in times of negative sentiment

toward high-yield securities.



Derivatives Risk (including Options, Futures and Swaps): Derivatives are

speculative and may hurt the Fund's performance. Derivative products are highly

specialized instruments that require investment techniques and risk analyses

different from those associated with stocks and bonds. The use of a derivative

requires an understanding not only of the underlying instrument but also of the

derivative itself, without the benefit of observing the performance of the

derivative under all possible market conditions. Derivatives present the risk of

disproportionately increased losses and/ or reduced opportunities for gains when

the financial asset or measure to which the derivative is linked changes in

unexpected ways.



Structured Investments: Structured investments (e.g., credit-linked notes) are

financial instruments and contractual obligations that are designed to provide a

specific risk-reward profile. Generally, structured instruments combine

characteristics of two or more different types of financial instruments. The

terms of these investments may be contractually "structured" by the purchaser

and the issuer (which is typically associated with an investment banking firm)

of the instrument. Structured investments may have certain features of equity

and debt securities, but may also have features of derivative instruments.

Structured investments typically change the risk or return, or replicate the

risk or return of an underlying asset. The value of a structured investment will

normally rise or fall in response to the changes in the performance of the

underlying asset (including any market basket, index or similar instrument that

to which they may be related). Structured investments involve the same risks as

those of the underlying asset and of derivative instruments. In addition,

regulatory or tax considerations may change during the term of a structured

investment, creating additional risk that the investment may not perform as

anticipated.



Convertible Securities: The risks of convertible bonds and debentures include

repayment risk and interest rate risk. Many Asian convertible securities are not

rated by rating agencies like Moody's, S&P or Fitch, or, if they are rated, they

may be rated below investment grade ("junk bonds"), which may have a greater

risk of default. Convertible securities may trade less frequently and in lower

volumes, or have periods of less frequent trading. Lower trading volume may also

make it more difficult for the Fund to value such securities.



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.



Non-diversified: The Fund is a "non-diversified" investment company, which means

that it may invest a larger portion of its assets in the securities of a single

issuer compared with a diversified fund. An investment in the Fund therefore

will entail greater risk than an investment in a diversified fund because a

single security's increase or decrease in value may have a greater impact on the

Fund's value and total return.

Past Performance

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 HSBC Asian Local Bond Index

(ALBI). The Fund's secondary benchmark is the J.P. Morgan Asia Credit Index

(JACI).

[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 Fund Operating Expenses to 1.25% for the Institutional Class and agreed to reduce the expense ratio by an equal amount for the Investor Class. Because certain expenses of the Investor Class are higher than the Institutional Class, the Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and Expense Reimbursement for the Investor Class will exceed 1.25%. The amounts of the waivers and reimbursements are based on estimated Fund expenses. The fee waiver and expense reimbursement may be terminated at any time by the Fund on 60 days' written notice.

XML

Label	Element	Value
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
ProspectusDate	rr_ProspectusDate	Nov. 30, 2011
MATTHEWS ASIA STRATEGIC INCOME FUND (Prospectus Summary) | MATTHEWS ASIA STRATEGIC INCOME FUND
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Risk/Return, Heading	rr_RiskReturnHeading	Matthews Asia Strategic Income Fund
Investment Objective, Heading	rr_ObjectiveHeading	Investment Objective
investment Objective, Primary	rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock	The Matthews Asia Strategic Income Fund (the "Strategic Income Fund" or the "Fund") seeks total return over the long term, with an emphasis on income.
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 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 Strategic Income Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing at least 80% of its total assets, which include borrowings for investment purposes, in income-producing securities including, but not limited to, debt and debt-related instruments issued by governments, quasi-governmental entities, supra-national institutions, and companies in Asia. Investments may be denominated in any currency, and may represent any part of a company's capital structure from debt to equity or with features of both. Debt and debt-related instruments typically include bonds, debentures, bills, notes, certificates of deposit and other bank obligations, senior secured bank debt, convertible debt securities, credit-linked notes, inflation-linked instruments, repurchase agreements, dividend paying equity securities and derivative instruments with fixed income characteristics. Asia includes the following countries: China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. Generally, a company will be considered located in one of those countries if it is organized there, derives a majority of its profits from there, has a majority of its assets there, or its securities primarily trade there. Other considerations, such as headquarters location, apply to supra-national and other types of entities. Instruments will be deemed to be Asian securities if the issuer is headquartered in an Asian country, the instrument is denominated in the currency of an Asian country, or the instrument is issued with respect to a project located in, or secured or backed by assets located in an Asian country, or is otherwise linked to an Asian country. Up to 50% of the Fund's total assets may be invested in securities of issuers from a single country (including the government of that country, its agencies, instrumentalities and political subdivisions), and up to 25% of the Fund's total assets, may be invested in the securities issued by any one Asian government (including its agencies, instrumentalities and political subdivisions). The Fund will not seek to limit its foreign currency exposure and may invest without limitation in non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities and instruments. The Fund reserves the right to hedge its exposure to foreign currencies to reduce the risk of loss from fluctuations in currency exchange rates, but normally does not expect to do so. The Fund will typically engage in derivative transactions for a variety of purposes, including managing interest rate, currency and credit exposure, involving a variety of underlying instruments, including for example, currencies, debt securities, securities indexes, futures and options on swaps (commonly referred to as swaptions). In particular, the Fund may seek to take on currency exposure by using derivatives such as currency forwards and, as a result, the Fund's exposure to a currency could exceed the value of the Fund's assets denominated in that currency and could exceed the value of the Fund's net assets. The Fund is permitted to invest in debt securities of any quality, including high yield debt securities rated below investment grade (commonly referred to as "junk bonds") and unrated debt securities. Under normal market conditions, the Fund intends that at least 50% of its debt and debt-related securities shall be, at the time of their purchase, rated investment grade by at least one internationally recognized rating agency (such as Moody's, S&P or Fitch), or, if unrated are deemed by Matthews to be of comparable credit quality. The Fund has no stated maturity or duration target and the average effective maturity or duration may change. Matthews has implemented risk management systems to monitor the Fund to reduce the risk of loss through overemphasis on a particular issuer, country or currency. Matthews uses a fundamentals-based investment process to manage the Fund's portfolio of fixed income investments, with a focus on risk-adjusted return. Matthews' fixed income investment process includes six steps, with risk management embedded into each step of the process, in order to identify and capitalize on credit (including counterparty), interest rate (duration), and currency opportunities and risks: The key steps include generating a range of ideas for investments (sometimes referred to as the investable universe), researching a smaller list within that range, selecting investments based on that research, constructing a portfolio of selected investments based on overall risk and other allocation considerations, monitoring the portfolio, and analyzing the precise sources of risk and return from the investments already made.
Risk, Heading	rr_RiskHeading	Principal Risks of Investment
Risk, Narrative	rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock	Credit Risk: A debt instrument's price depends, in part, on the credit quality of the issuer, borrower, counterparty, or underlying collateral and can decline in response to changes in the financial condition of the issuer, borrower, counterparty, or underlying collateral, or changes in specific or general market, economic, industry, political, regulatory, geopolitical, or other conditions. Interest Rate Risk (including Prepayment and Extension Risks): Changes in interest rates in each of the countries in which the Fund may invest, as well as interest rates in more-developed countries, may cause a decline in the market value of an investment. Generally, fixed income securities will decrease in value when interest rates rise and when interest rates decline, the value of fixed income securities can be expected to rise. As interest rates decline, debt issuers may repay or refinance their loans or obligations earlier than anticipated. The issuers of fixed income securities may, therefore, repay principal in advance. This would force the Fund to reinvest the proceeds from the principal prepayments at lower rates, which reduces the Fund's income. Currency Risks: When the Fund invests in foreign currencies (directly or through a financial instrument) or in securities denominated in a foreign currency, there is the risk that the value of the foreign currency will increase or decrease 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, Asian countries 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. Capital controls may also affect the value of the Fund's holdings. 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 of countries within the Asian region (including countries in which the Fund invests, as well as the broader region); international relations with other nations; natural disasters; corruption and military activity. The Asian region, and particularly China, Japan and South Korea, may be adversely affected by political, military, economic and other factors related to North Korea. In addition, China's long-running conflict over Taiwan, border disputes with many of its neighbors and historically strained relations with Japan could adversely impact economies in the region. The economies of many Asian countries differ from the economies of more developed countries 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. Certain Asian countries are highly dependent upon and may be affected by developments in the United States, Europe and other Asian economies. 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. High-Yield Bonds and Other Lower-Rated Securities: The Fund's investments in high-yield bonds ("junk bonds") and other lower-rated securities will subject the Fund to substantial risk of loss. Issuers of junk bonds are less financially secure and less able to repay interest and principal compared to issuers of investment-grade securities. Prices of junk bonds tend to be very volatile. These securities are less liquid than investment-grade debt securities and may be difficult to price or sell, particularly in times of negative sentiment toward high-yield securities. Derivatives Risk (including Options, Futures and Swaps): Derivatives are speculative and may hurt the Fund's performance. Derivative products are highly specialized instruments that require investment techniques and risk analyses different from those associated with stocks and bonds. The use of a derivative requires an understanding not only of the underlying instrument but also of the derivative itself, without the benefit of observing the performance of the derivative under all possible market conditions. Derivatives present the risk of disproportionately increased losses and/ or reduced opportunities for gains when the financial asset or measure to which the derivative is linked changes in unexpected ways. Structured Investments: Structured investments (e.g., credit-linked notes) are financial instruments and contractual obligations that are designed to provide a specific risk-reward profile. Generally, structured instruments combine characteristics of two or more different types of financial instruments. The terms of these investments may be contractually "structured" by the purchaser and the issuer (which is typically associated with an investment banking firm) of the instrument. Structured investments may have certain features of equity and debt securities, but may also have features of derivative instruments. Structured investments typically change the risk or return, or replicate the risk or return of an underlying asset. The value of a structured investment will normally rise or fall in response to the changes in the performance of the underlying asset (including any market basket, index or similar instrument that to which they may be related). Structured investments involve the same risks as those of the underlying asset and of derivative instruments. In addition, regulatory or tax considerations may change during the term of a structured investment, creating additional risk that the investment may not perform as anticipated. Convertible Securities: The risks of convertible bonds and debentures include repayment risk and interest rate risk. Many Asian convertible securities are not rated by rating agencies like Moody's, S&P or Fitch, or, if they are rated, they may be rated below investment grade ("junk bonds"), which may have a greater risk of default. Convertible securities may trade less frequently and in lower volumes, or have periods of less frequent trading. Lower trading volume may also make it more difficult for the Fund to value such securities. 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. Non-diversified: The Fund is a "non-diversified" investment company, which means that it may invest a larger portion of its assets in the securities of a single issuer compared with a diversified fund. An investment in the Fund therefore will entail greater risk than an investment in a diversified fund because a single security's increase or decrease in value may have a greater impact on the Fund's value and total return.
Risk, Nondiversified Status	rr_RiskNondiversifiedStatus	The Fund is a "non-diversified" investment company, which means that it may invest a larger portion of its assets in the securities of a single issuer compared with a diversified fund. An investment in the Fund therefore will entail greater risk than an investment in a diversified fund because a single security's increase or decrease in value may have a greater impact on the Fund's value and total return.
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 HSBC Asian Local Bond Index (ALBI). The Fund's secondary benchmark is the J.P. Morgan Asia Credit Index (JACI).
Performance, One Year or Less	rr_PerformanceOneYearOrLess	The Fund is new and does not have a full calendar year of performance or financial information to present.
MATTHEWS ASIA STRATEGIC INCOME FUND (Prospectus Summary) | MATTHEWS ASIA STRATEGIC INCOME FUND | Investor Class
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement over Assets, Date of Termination	rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssetsDateOfTermination	2014-08-31
MATTHEWS ASIA STRATEGIC INCOME FUND (Prospectus Summary) | MATTHEWS ASIA STRATEGIC INCOME FUND | Institutional Class
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement over Assets, Date of Termination	rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssetsDateOfTermination	2014-08-31
MATTHEWS ASIA STRATEGIC INCOME FUND | Investor Class
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Redemption Fee (as a percentage of amount redeemed on shares held fewer than 90 days)	rr_RedemptionFeeOverRedemption	(2.00%)
Management Fee	rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets	0.65%
Distribution (12b-1) Fees	rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets	none
Administration and Shareholder Servicing Fees	rr_Component1OtherExpensesOverAssets	0.15%
Other Expenses	rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets	1.28%	[1]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses	rr_ExpensesOverAssets	1.93%
Fee Waiver and Expense Reimbursement	rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets	(0.53%)	[2]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and Expense Reimbursement	rr_NetExpensesOverAssets	1.40%
Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year	rr_ExpenseExampleYear01	143
Expense Example, With Redemption, 3 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear03	443
MATTHEWS ASIA STRATEGIC INCOME FUND | Institutional Class
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Redemption Fee (as a percentage of amount redeemed on shares held fewer than 90 days)	rr_RedemptionFeeOverRedemption	(2.00%)
Management Fee	rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets	0.65%
Distribution (12b-1) Fees	rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets	none
Administration and Shareholder Servicing Fees	rr_Component1OtherExpensesOverAssets	0.15%
Other Expenses	rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets	1.13%	[1]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses	rr_ExpensesOverAssets	1.78%
Fee Waiver and Expense Reimbursement	rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets	(0.53%)	[2]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and Expense Reimbursement	rr_NetExpensesOverAssets	1.25%
Expense Example, With Redemption, 1 Year	rr_ExpenseExampleYear01	127
Expense Example, With Redemption, 3 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear03	397

[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 Fund Operating Expenses to 1.25% for the Institutional Class and agreed to reduce the expense ratio by an equal amount for the Investor Class. Because certain expenses of the Investor Class are higher than the Institutional Class, the Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and Expense Reimbursement for the Investor Class will exceed 1.25%. The amounts of the waivers and reimbursements are based on estimated Fund expenses. The fee waiver and expense reimbursement may be terminated at any time by the Fund on 60 days' written notice.

XML

Label	Element	Value
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Document Type	dei_DocumentType	485BPOS
Document Period End Date	dei_DocumentPeriodEndDate	Nov. 30, 2011
Registrant Name	dei_EntityRegistrantName	MATTHEWS INTERNATIONAL FUNDS
Central Index Key	dei_EntityCentralIndexKey	0000923184
Amendment Flag	dei_AmendmentFlag	false
Document Creation Date	dei_DocumentCreationDate	Nov. 29, 2011
Document Effective Date	dei_DocumentEffectiveDate	Nov. 30, 2011
MATTHEWS ASIA STRATEGIC INCOME FUND (Prospectus Summary) | MATTHEWS ASIA STRATEGIC INCOME FUND | Investor Class
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Trading Symbol	dei_TradingSymbol	MAINX
MATTHEWS ASIA STRATEGIC INCOME FUND (Prospectus Summary) | MATTHEWS ASIA STRATEGIC INCOME FUND | Institutional Class
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Trading Symbol	dei_TradingSymbol	MINCX