Author Simon Winchester explains how he came to write the life of Joseph Needham, the British scientist who became fascinated by China's culture and history. He recollects his encounter with Needham's multi-volume epic, Science and Civilization in China, and explains how he came to narrate Needham's extraordinary life journey from his early interest in languages and biology to his profound influence on the Western perception of China in The Man Who Loved China. This recording was made in 2009, at an event in New York hosted by the National Committee on US-China Relations in conjunction with publication of the Berkshire Encyclopedia of China by NCUSCR member Karen Christensen.
Winchester also tells the story of how he became a writer, through correspondence and friendship with the author James - then Jan - Morris. “For years afterwards, the Guardian editors, whenever they got a letter from an aspiring reporter asking how do I become a reporter on their newspaper, they said, ‘It's very simple. You just go to Oxford to get a degree in geology, and befriend a transsexual.’” Read more about Simon Winchester.
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