Joseph Needham : Joseph Needham's journal of his tour in North China, Aug.25-Nov.4, 1945

Joseph Needham

<p style='text-align: justify;'>On this journey, from August 25 to November 4, Needham travelled from Chungking (Chongqing) 重慶市 north to Baoji 寶鷄市 and Sian (Xi’an) 西安市 in Shensi (Shaanxi) province 陝西省 and west to Tienshui (Tianshui) 天水市 in Kansu (Gansu) province 甘肅省. He was accompanied by SBSCO staff members Dorothy Needham, Tsao Tien-Chin (Cao Tianqin) 曹天欽 and Chiu Chiung-Yun (Qiu Qiongyun) 邱瓊雲. [Full itinerary]. He visited a wide range of universities, research institutes and schools, factories and workshops, as well as many other sites of interest. He notes in detail the state of the roads, maintenance of the truck, names of people met and travelled with, scenery passed, and the purchase of supplies and his expenses. Unfortunately, he was not able to travel into the Communist-controlled "Border Region" (Shan Gan Ning bian qu 陝甘寧邊區) in Shensi (Shaanxi) province 陝西省. A typescript of his report to the British Embassy on the trip can be viewed <a target='_blank' class='externalLink' href='http://www.nri.cam.ac.uk/wartime_extras/Needham_Southeast_Journey_Report.pdf'>here</a> .</p><p style='text-align: justify;'>Photographs for the journey are included in N - North journey (<a href='/view/PH-NRI-00002-00010-00001-00001-00006/1'>NRI2/10/1/1/6</a>), though unfortunately many of these are of very poor quality due to damaged negatives. These images are also available to view in date order <a target='_blank' class='externalLink' href='http://www.nri.cam.ac.uk/JN_wartime_photos/home.htm'>here</a>.</p><p style='text-align: justify;'>Further information and resources are available about Needham's time in China from 1943-1946 as Director of the Sino-British Science Cooperation Office <a target='_blank' class='externalLink' href='http://www.nri.cam.ac.uk/JN_wartime.htm'>here</a>.</p>