The Man Who Loved China: The Fantastic Story of the Eccentric Scientist Who Unlocked the Mysteries of the Middle Kingdom (P.S.) [Paperback]

Simon Winchester has by now established quite a reputation for popular biographies and general popular humanities writing, and as "The Man Who Loved China" shows, this is well deserved. In this book, Winchester tells the riveting story of the life of Joseph Needham, the eccentric Briton who was trained as a biologist, but would become both perhaps the greatest Sinologist of the 20th Century and one of China's most stalwart defenders.

Needham came from a solid left-leaning middle class background, becoming more and more socialist during his studies at Cambridge University, although never joining the CPGB. He developed as a biochemist an early interest in China and the Chinese, and at a time when British politics was avowedly pro-Japanese, as they would remain until 1941, Needham was one of the few voices raised in China's defence. Being a true renaissance man, Needham learned Chinese in a short period from his Chinese mistress, who is next to him one of the protagonists of the book (Needham had an open marriage, being consistently liberal in sexual matters).

It was this known pro-China sentiment that led to his charge as a diplomatic representative of the King to the Nationalist Chinese, where his task was to support the scientific efforts of the Chinese in the non-Japanese occupied areas. Despite his general sympathies to the Communist Chinese cause, he set himself on this task with vigor, expending great effort to assist Chinese science and the Chinese in general with supplies, as well as making important and useful contacts with scientists and researchers in that country. He also undertook, in association with the famous Rewi Alley, various expeditions to remote parts of that vast land to do archeological and anthropological fieldwork on his own.

It was this that led to the formation of the masterpiece of science for which Needham is justly renowned: the standardwork "Science and Civilization in China", a veritable encyclopedia of Chinese scientific history in an astounding 24 volumes (most of which not published during his lifetime). By means of this work, Needham absolutely and irrefutably established the falsity of Eurocentric theories considering the superiority of Europeans in science or abstract thought, and demonstrated that China had invented or developed many concepts and applications, almost too numerous to list, far before anyone in this part of the world did.

Needham himself was later much damaged in his reputation by the slanders and calumnies heaped upon him for his steadfast support for socialism in China, which even led to him being declared non grata in the United States, and veritably shunned in the UK, to the great damaging of his career. Nonetheless he continued both his excellent scientific and political work, and when the tide turned in the 1960s he was duly elected Master of Caius College, Cambridge, a position he then used to (unsuccesfully) agitate for allowing women into the college and for relaxing the laws against homosexuality, among other things. It is not just Needham's scientific and political life, however, that cause admiration, but also the immense brilliance of his mind, which in true 'homo universalis' style he applied to every possible subject and knowledge he came across: doing research of his own on anything that interested him, from train models to English working-class history and folk-dancing. It is rare in history that we find such universally wise people, and they almost always cause great advances in the understanding of their age; Needham was one of them.

For this reason it is unfortunate that the biography is in some places flawed. Biographer Winchester misses the essential point when he describes the topic of "Science and Civilization in China" as the question why China failed to develop after 1500; in fact, as for example historical geographer James Blaut has so often tried to impress on the public consciousness, China did not fail to develop from that period at all, and developed just as fast in technological terms between 1500 and 1800 as in the 300 years before. It was on the contrary Europe that started developing much faster than anyone else, the real question that demands explaining (and which Blaut explains by the colonization of the Americas). Winchester does the Chinese and Needham both a disservice by continuing this myth. It is also annoying to me personally how Winchester tends to downplay the historical significance of Needham's socialism, which he fortunately does not ignore, but does treat rather as an example of British academic eccentricism; and as a result, he makes all sorts of conjectures about how Needham could 'obviously' never really have supported Communist China as it became, despite the fact Needham went there several times and continued supporting Mao. Winchester is free to disagree with, but not to project upon, his subject.

Despite these flaws, however, this book is a very lively, well-written and fair biography of a fascinating and heroic engagé scientist, who truly challenged Eurocentric views of history through his own research and whose exploits make him seem almost an Indiana Jones of socialism.

There are 2 facets of Simon Winchester's work that make him one of my favorite authors. Firstly, he brings amazing players in History forward that I very often have never heard of. Secondly, he makes reading History tremendously fascinating. The latter should be a given, how can our past be anything but fascinating? The reality is that History books can be painful to read.

Noel Joseph Terrence Montgomery Needham is the subject of Mr. Winchester's 19th work, sound familiar? Not to me. However by the end of the book I look forward to seeking out more about this man as Mr. Winchester has a knack for catalyzing a reader's interest well beyond the book he offers. Professor Needham was a astonishing man who filled his 94 years with remarkable travels, eccentric behavior and a decision so poor the reader will ask was he a fool or a knave? (Question posed by the author)

What is not in dispute is the marvelous history of China Professor Needham documented through first hand investigation over thousands of miles traveled in China (many in war time) and the decades of research that followed. The only other historian that comes to mind as being so single minded in his pursuit of a subject is Sir Martin Gilbert and his decades long work on Sir Winston Spencer Churchill.

The work is also timely as it coincides with China's re-entry as a focal point for the world. China's existence is best measured in millennia and her scientific contributions when listed are nearly as long and often pre-date conventional wisdom on who was first with a given invention. Think you know where printing was first documented, suspension bridges first built, how about the compass, blood circulation or perhaps a flame-thrower?

China's recent history is no indicator of its fantastic past and may more likely be an indicator of what is yet to come. This is another great read by a wonderful author who never disappoints.

This is a timely biography, its publication coinciding with the 2008 Beijing Olympics and a disastrous major earthquake, which have together turned the eyes of the world's media onto the "Middle Kingdom", as the Chinese have confidently called their country for 5,000 years, believing throughout this time that it is indeed the centre of the world. It now seems that China's (and Needham's) time in the spotlight has come at last.

I remember Joseph Needham as the Master of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge University when I matriculated there as a young man in 1975, though he retired from the Mastership one year later. The Needham Research Institute at Cambridge for the study of East Asian history, science and technology preserves his name in perpetuity, while in China he is known as Li Yue-se, the name given to him by the woman who later became his second wife at the outset of his Chinese language studies "[i]n order to commingle her pupil's identity with his linguistic passion, and thus more effectively bind him to the wheel" (p. 40).

The descriptions I heard as an undergraduate of Needham as a "Marxist Catholic" [sic.] and "a great Chinese scholar" barely do justice to the man. Though I never remember having a conversation with the Great Man and was quite in awe of him, I often saw his slightly stooping figure - crowned somewhat mysteriously by a beret - walking in the old courts of the College. (He also sent me a telegram which I remember verbatim and treasure to this day: "Elected Scholarship Caius College. Congratulations Needham Master.")

Needham was - as Winchester says - a sociable man and invited us freshmen (including Alastair Campbell, later spin-doctor to Tony Blair) to meet him once in the Master's Lodge. In his address in the Hall to our group of Caius freshmen - the last he would welcome into the College - he told us in a somewhat cavalier way not to seek singlemindedly for distinction, or aim for a first class degree, but to enjoy and make the most of our time at the University and be happy about any honours which happened to come our way. (I have attempted to follow his benevolent advice!)

Simon Winchester's skilfully presented book is an overdue tribute to this great British academic-eccentric. It is a fair and impartial account, and does the subject ample justice. It is not entirely free of minor typographical errors. Nevertheless, I read the book rapidly and almost in one sitting, which is rare for me and a testament to its readability.

Noel Joseph Terence Montgomery Needham, whatever his flaws and errors of judgment may have been, deserves greater fame outside Cambridge and China. This carefully crafted must-read page-turner of a work will surely supply it, and stimulate in many readers a desire to read some of Needham's own books. (After this I want to read more by Simon Winchester too - he certainly likes to write about big literary creations and their creators!)

Ian Ruxton, editor of The Diaries of Sir Ernest Satow, British Envoy in Peking (1900-06) and The Semi-Official Letters of British Envoy Sir Ernest Satow from Japan and China (1895-1906). (It seems Needham's influence has extended to the subject matter of my research also, to a considerable degree!)