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The Man Who Loved China

the Fantastic Story of the Eccentric Scientist Who Unlocked the Mysteries of the Middle Kingdom
Jan 23, 2017zipread rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Simon Winchester is an accomplished author not afraid to tackle the most esoteric of topics and personages. He has well over thirty book to his credit. Prolific indeed, dealing with subjects as varied as the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary; the Birth of Geology; the Atlantic Ocean; and, of course, the Orient. Obviously, Winchester is not one to shirk the large subjects. He writes intelligently yet engagingly about the subjects to which be brings the fruits of insight, knowledge and enthusiasm. This book, a biography of sorts, is about a scholar not much known to the general public, Joseph Needham. Needham was an academic who took his training in Biochemistry at Cambridge. The pivitol point in his life came in 1935 when he met a young graduate student by the name of Lu Gwei-djen. It was as a result of this meeting (which unfolded into a life-long relationship) that Needsham's fascination with the orient was kindled. During the Second World War Needham worked and travelled extensively in China, always attempting to find the answer to what has since become known as "Needham's Question": why had China and India been overtaken by the West in science and technology, despite their earlier successes? Ultimately, it might be argued, Needham never did find the answer to his question. His seminal contribution to sinology was the completion of a seven volume work treating in China's contribution such as Mathematics, Mining, Civil Engineering and numerous other scientific and technological areas of study. A highly invigorating book and one not to be avoided merely because if its somewhat quirky title.