The Man Who Loved China: The Fantastic Story of the Eccentric Scientist

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The Man Who Loved China: The Fantastic Story of the Eccentric Scientist Page 34

by Simon Winchester


  Payne, Robert, 76–77, 103

  Peking (Beijing), 128, 225

  Peiping Academy, 98

  People’s Liberation Army (PLA), 264

  People’s Republic of China, 96, 198. See also China

  accusations of U.S. biological warfare in Korean War by officials of, 200–208

  Cultural Revolution in, 231, 234, 235

  Great Leap Forward economic campaign, 234

  Joseph Needham begins to question Mao’s policies in, 234–37

  Joseph Needham’s observations of changes in China after formation of, 206–7, 234

  Taiwan as part of, 225n.48

  U.S. response to founding of, 225–26

  Philby, Kim, 32

  Philosophical Dictionary, The (Voltaire), 253

  Picken, Laurence

  complaint letter about Joseph Needham and Lu Gwei-djen written by, 159–62

  positive review of Science and Civilisation in China by, 234

  Pirie, Bill, 210

  plants, Chinese pharmaceutical, 155–56

  plow and moldboard, Chinese, 184

  poetry, Chinese, 89–90

  Polo, Marco, 132, 186

  pollution in China, 255, 256–57

  Popper, Karl, 238

  population in China, 255

  Postan, Michael, 250

  Potteries Trade Research Association, 74–75

  Powell, John, 215, 216

  Powell, Sylvia, 215

  Power, Eileen, 250

  “Prague Spring” in Czechoslovakia, 231

  Pratt, King’s Messenger, 3, 61, 71

  Pre-Natal History of the Steam Engine, The, 192n.40

  Priestley, J. B., 32

  Progressive League, 227

  puddling technique, Chinese iron, 195

  pump, Chinese square-pallet chain, 185

  punnet, 221n.46

  Punnett, Reginald, 221

  Putterill, Jack, 233

  Pu Yi, Chinese emperor, 250

  Qianlong, emperor of China, 182, 258

  Qin dynasty, 106, 108

  Qing dynasty, 91, 176, 262

  rain gauge, Chinese, 181

  Republic of China, 197

  Richthofen, Ferdinand, 126

  Riddle of the Sands, The (Childers), 19

  Robinson, David, 243–44

  Robinson College, Cambridge University, 243–44, 249

  Robinson, Kenneth, 217

  Roosevelt, Franklin, 33, 47

  Rosenberg, Julius and Ethel, Joseph Needham’s campaign on behalf of, 227

  Roxby, Percy, 161

  Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve, 17

  Royal Society

  criticism of Joseph Needham by members of, because of biological warfare report, 209–10

  Joseph Needham elected fellow of (1941), 28–29, 238

  rudder, Chinese sternpost, 186

  Russian Revolution of 1917, 17

  Sanctae Trinitatis Confraternitas, 19

  Sanderson, F. W., 16

  Sansom, George, 54

  SCC. See Science and Civilisation in China (SCC)

  Schlegel, Friedrich, 15

  Schumacher, E. F., 113–14

  Schuman, Julian, 215

  Schwarz, Berthold, 92

  Science and Civilisation in China (SCC), 168–98, 244, 248–49

  on aerodynamics and flight, 1

  on biological agents in bombs, 199

  F. Bray’s contribution to, 241–42, 244

  on bridges, 11, 121–22

  on Chinese “traits,” 133

  construction of, 188–97

  final words of, 217

  honors for, 197–98

  inventions documented in, 182–88

  Joseph Needham begins research and writing of, 168–88

  Joseph Needham’s book and manuscript collection in support of, 174–77, 194–95, 242–44, 248–49

  Joseph Needham’s observations as first incidence of research for, 65–68, 77

  Joseph Needham’s reputation resting on, 222–23

  on magnetic compass, 97

  monographs emerging from, 192n.40

  on oranges, botany, and horticulture, 61, 65–66

  origins of idea for, 37–38, 56–57

  proposal for, to Cambridge University Press, 170, 171, 172, 173

  publication of first volume of (1954), 217–20

  publication of second volume of (1956), 228

  publication of third volume of (1959), 229–30

  publication of fourth volume of (1975), 239

  reviews of, 224, 228, 239–40

  on scientific fundamentals (five elements) in China, 168

  title page of first volume, 219

  Vol. I, Introduction, 189, 191, 192, 219

  Vol. II, 189, 191–92, 228

  Vol. III, 189, 192, 228, 229–30, 263

  Vol. IV, 189–90

  Vol. IV, Part 3, Civil Engineering and Nautics, 193–94, 196, 239

  Vol. V, 190, 192–93

  Vol. VI, 190

  Vol. VI, Part I, Botany, 66n.13

  Vol. VII, 190–91

  Wang Ling contribution to, 174, 178, 180–81, 182, 183, 189, 191, 193, 195, 244

  Science Outpost (J. Needham), 211n.45

  Scott-Moncrieff, Rose, 20

  Seymour, Horace, 72–73, 159n.32, 162

  Shaffer, Elinor, 252

  Shandan oasis, Gansu Province, China, 127, 264

  Shaw, George Bernard, 17

  Sheng Rongzhi (Joseph Needham’s Chinese name), 123n.26

  Shen Gua (Chinese geographer), 183

  Shen Shizhang, 36

  Shi, professor, plant scientist, 85, 88, 89

  Shih, H. Y., Joseph Needham’s infatuation with, 239

  Shi Xin Dao Ren (one of Joseph Needham’s Chinese names), 123n.26

  Shuangshipu, China, 111, 115, 117

  Shu Jing, 61

  Siddeley, John, 31

  Siku Quanshu (The Complete Books of the Four Imperial Repositories), 176n.36

  Silk Road, 101, 104, 109, 126, 130, 131, 263–64

  Sino-British Scientific Cooperation Office (SBSCO), 54, 74, 79, 83, 102, 121

  Smith, Sydney, 160

  Snow, Edgar, 112, 113

  Society for Anglo-Chinese Understanding (SACU), 142–43, 234

  Song dynasty, 89, 92, 120, 183

  Soviet Union, role of, in accusations against U.S. of biological warfare in Korean War, 204, 212–14

  space program, Chinese, 264–65

  Spalding, H. N., 51

  Spanish civil war (1936), 33

  Spanish flu pandemic of 1918, 18

  spinning wheel, Chinese, 187

  Stalin, Joseph, 212

  star charts, Tang dynasty, 138, 263

  Stein, Marc Aurel, 72, 130–31, 134–39

  death of, 134

  discovery of artifacts at Mogao

  Caves by, 136–37

  photo in Taklamakan Desert, 135

  removal of artifacts from China by, 138–40

  Steiner, George, on Joseph Needham, 239–40

  Stephens, Leslie, 230

  Stephenson, Marjory, 20

  stirrup, Chinese, 187–88

  Stratton, Frederick “Chubby,” 221

  Sung dynasty, 195. See also Song dynasty

  Sun Yat-sen, 254

  surveyors’ marks, Chinese, 188–89

  Swaffer, Hannen, 32

  Swann, Michael, 229

  Taiwan, 198

  status as part of People’s Republic of China, 225n.48

  Taklamakan Desert, 126, 129,

  135

  Tang dynasty, 138

  Tawney, R. H., 32

  Tawney Society, 227

  Teichman, Eric, 73–74, 105, 106, 120, 125

  terra cotta soldiers, Shaanxi Province, 100n.19

  Thatcher, Margaret, 229

  Tianjin, China, 51 Times Literary Supplement, 228

  toilet paper, Chinese perfumed, 187

  Tots and Quots club, Cambridge, England, 32
/>   Toynbee, Arnold, 224

  Tribe, Keith, 150, 151

  Truman, Harry, U.S. president, 166

  Tsien, T. H., 242

  type, early books printed with movable, 177

  umbrella, Chinese, 187

  Unabomber, 238–39

  UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization), Joseph Needham’s work for, 162–66, 211

  Unit 731 Water Purification Camp, experiments conducted by Japanese at, 202, 215

  United Nations, 162

  membership of Chinese government in, 225–26

  United States

  accusations of biological warfare conducted by, during Korean War, 199–214

  Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), 166, 212

  initial neutrality and later entrance into World War II, 47, 53

  Joseph Needham banned from entering, 211–12

  opposition to Joseph Needham’s involvement in UNESCO, 166

  research into biological warfare in, 202, 203

  response of, to founding of People’s Republic of China, 225–26

  Vietnam War and, 231

  U.S. War Department, 56

  University of Wuhan, 85

  University Socialist Society, 32

  Vandenberg, Hoyt, 166

  Van Gulik, Robert, 74n.16

  Vietnam War, 231

  vitamin C, plant sources of, 155

  voles, accusations of biological warfare using sick, 200–202

  Voltaire, 253

  Waley, Arthur, 58

  Wang Ling, 92, 178, 221

  contribution of, to Science and Civilisation in China, 174, 180–81, 182, 183, 189, 191, 193, 195

  Wang Yinglai, 36

  Wang Yuanlu, 136, 138

  Warner, Langdon, 139n.28

  Warring States period, 108

  water and hydraulics, role in Chinese history, 105–9, 184, 193

  Watson, James, 240

  Wells, H. G., 17, 32, 64

  Weltfish, Gene, 210–11

  West, Rebecca, 32

  wheelbarrow, Chinese, 186

  Wheldale, Muriel, 20

  Williams, Sanuel Wells, 66n.12

  Williams-Ellis, Amabel, 32

  Williams-Ellis, Clough, 32n., 196

  Winant, John, 58

  women

  Chinese foot binding practice, 119–20

  Joseph Needham’s relationships with, 23, 25–26, 81–82, 86, 145, 239

  Joseph Needham’s traditional attitudes toward, 232

  Woolf, Virginia, 230n.51

  Worcester, G. R. G., 196

  World Peace Council, 203–4

  World War I, 16, 25–26

  World War II, 45, 46

  Chongqing as Chinese capital during, 1–6, 9–10, 47

  Worm Ouroboros, The (Eddison), 107n.21

  Wuguanhe, China, 110

  Xi’an, China, 100, 128, 132. See also Chang’an, China

  Xiang River bridge incident, Joseph Needham and, 152–54

  Xinjiang (Chinese Turkistan), Needham expedition to, 100–43

  Xuan Zang, 132

  Yang Lingwei, Chinese astronaut, 264

  Yangzi River, 75, 89, 90–91, 253

  Ye, P., letters from, to Joseph Needham, 192n.39

  Yellow River, 118, 141

  Yibin, China, 86, 88, 90

  Yongle dadien (The Great Canon of the Yongle Emperor’s Era), 176n.36

  Yongqiang, China, 106–7

  Younghusband, Francis, 73

  Yuan dynasty, 181

  Yunnan Province, China, 156

  Zhao Baoling, 145

  Zhejiang University, 175, 176

  Zheng He, Chinese explorer, 194

  Zhongguo, 225n.47. See also China Zhou Enlai (Chinese Communist leader), 40, 58, 78, 176n.35

  on China’s hygiene campaign and accusations against U.S. of biological warfare use during Korean War, 201–3, 208

  friendship with Joseph Needham, 94, 96, 99, 163, 201n.42, 234, 235

  photos of, 209, 235 Zhuangzi, 164

  Zhu Jingying, 81–82

  Zhu Kezhen (scholar), book and manuscript collection donated to Joseph Needham by, 175–77

  Zuckerman, Solly, 32

  Zunyi, China, 175

  About the Author

  SIMON WINCHESTER’s many books include The Professor and the Madman, The Map That Changed the World, Krakatoa, and A Crack in the Edge of the World. Each of these has been a New York Times bestseller and has appeared on numerous best and notable lists. Mr. Winchester was made Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by HM The Queen in 2006. He lives in western Massachusetts.

  www.SimonWinchester.com

  Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins author.

  Also by Simon Winchester

  A Crack in the Edge of the World

  The Meaning of Everything

  Krakatoa

  The Map That Changed the World

  The Fracture Zone

  The Professor and the Madman

  The River at the Center of the World

  Small World

  Hong Kong: Here Be Dragons

  Pacific Nightmare

  Pacific Rising

  Korea: A Walk Through the Land of Miracles

  Outposts

  Prison Diary: Argentina

  Stones of Empire

  Their Noble Lordships

  American Heartbeat

  In Holy Terror

  Credits

  Jacket photographs: © Imagemore Co., Ltd./Corbis (Main Photo) and © Keren Su/Corbis (Inset Photo)

  Jacket design Jarrod Taylor

  Copyright

  THE MAN WHO LOVED CHINA. Copyright © 2008 by Simon Winchester. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

  EPub © Edition APRIL 2008 ISBN: 9780061795886

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  1There were many distinguished male researchers, too—among them the celebrated geneticist J. B. S. Haldane, whose line from the famous essay “On Being the Right Size” still haunts many. He was describing what happens when a variety of mammals of different sizes are dropped down a mineshaft: “A rat is killed, a man is broken, a horse splashes.”

  2Needham’s renowned ownership of Campbell’s mighty car led to a reported encounter with Chairman Mao in the 1960s which, if it did indeed take place, was to have an enormous impact on Chinese society and, incidentally, on global warming. The details of the conversation will appear later in this book.
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  3The topic intrigued Dorothy Needham for the rest of her life. Her only book, devoted entirely to muscle movement, was published when she was seventy-six. It was called Machina Carnis, roughly translated as The Meat Machine.

  4Dorothy Needham was made a fellow seven years later—giving the Needhams the great distinction of being the only husband-and-wife team to be accorded the honor, aside from the honorific appointments of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.

  5The wife of Clough Williams-Ellis, the architect best known for creating the fantasy town of Portmeirion in north Wales (where the cult television series The Prisoner was filmed in the 1960s).

  6For twenty years, beginning in 1937, this remarkable organization tallied the ordinary details of British life, using volunteers to perform such mundane tasks as asking people what they kept in their trouser pockets, surreptitiously noting down the rituals of working-class courtship, and reading messages written on banknotes.

  7There was a period during the Cultural Revolution when it was officially deemed more truly proletarian and patriotic to have just a single given name. A Chinese with an abbreviated name like Chen Hong or Li Guan suggests the bearer was quite probably born during the late 1960s, with parents who obeyed the instructions of their local Red Guards.

  8To add a further layer of complexity: Needham wrote his dictionary using the venerable Wade-Giles system of transliterating Chinese pronounciation into English. The modern pinyin system is very different—so the sound for electricity is not tien, as Needham had it, but dian, though in the same fourth tone; and tien, heaven, becomes tian, as in the usual contemporary spelling of the Beijing landmark Tiananmen Square.

 

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