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The Man Who Loved China: The Fantastic Story of the Eccentric Scientist Who Unlocked the Mysteries of the Middle Kingdom' The Fantastic Story of the Eccentric Scientist Who Unlocked the Mysteries of the Middle Kingdom' Audiobook
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(3.01) - 1,652 listener ratings
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In sumptuous and illuminating detail, Simon Winchester, the bestselling author of The Professor and the Madman (""Elegant and scrupulous""—New York Times Book Review) and Krakatoa (""A mesmerizing page-turner""—Time) brings to life the extraordinary story of Joseph Needham, the brilliant Cambridge scientist who unlocked the most closely held secrets of China, long the world's most technologically advanced country.
No cloistered don, this tall, married Englishman was a freethinking intellectual, who practiced nudism and was devoted to a quirky brand of folk dancing. In 1937, while working as a biochemist at Cambridge University, he instantly fell in love with a visiting Chinese student, with whom he began a lifelong affair.
He soon became fascinated with China, and his mistress swiftly persuaded the ever-enthusiastic Needham to travel to her home country, where he embarked on a series of extraordinary expeditions to the farthest frontiers of this ancient empire. He searched everywhere for evidence to bolster his conviction that the Chinese were responsible for hundreds of mankind's most familiar innovations—including printing, the compass, explosives, suspension bridges, even toilet paper—often centuries before the rest of the world. His thrilling and dangerous journeys, vividly recreated by Winchester, took him across war-torn China to far-flung outposts, consolidating his deep admiration for the Chinese people.
After the war, Needham was determined to tell the world what he had discovered, and began writing his majestic Science and Civilisation in China, describing the country's long and astonishing history of invention and technology. By the time he died, he had produced, essentially single-handedly, seventeen immense volumes, marking him as the greatest one-man encyclopedist ever.
Both epic and intimate, The Man Who Loved China tells the sweeping story of China through Needham's remarkable life. Here is an unforgettable tale of what makes men, nations, and, indeed, mankind itself great—related by one of the world's inimitable storytellers.
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"Simon Winchester is a great writer--I put this in the second tier of his books. (First tier would include A Crack in the Edge of the World and The River at the Center of the World. This is the story of Joseph Needham, a Cambridge professor of chemistry (and a man of unusual politics and philosophies) who became a British diplomat to China during World War II. He travelled throughout parts of China not occupied by the Japanese at the time, and his studies resulted in a many-volume collection of insights into Chinese history. He was most valuable in chronicling the scientific history of China, recording the many inventions and achievements that were created and applied in China long before their "discovery" in the West, including printed books and gunpowder. At the time he wrote his books, China was considered "backward" and intellectually behind by most Westerners, who had to face facts based on his research. His works are still considered invaluable references and have never been out of print. Needham's personal life and eccentricities are also interesting."
— Lisa (4 out of 5 stars)
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“Winchester employs the fluid, breezy writing style that has established him as a bestselling author. And Needham’s story is phenomenal: He was a nudist, a Morris dancer, an ardent Mao supporter, a practicing Christian. The man was fearless in life and love. This is the rare book where you wish the author had included more detail, not less.”
— USA Today -
“In Winchester’s estimable hands, Needham’s story comes to life straightaway…Winchester plunges the reader into the action with hardly a break. As the author notes in an outstanding epilogue—a swirling 12-page trip through the kaleidoscope of contemporary China—he is at pains to place Needham front and center in our understanding of the nation that now plays such a huge role in American life.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review) -
“The capacious life of an academic comes alive in Winchester’s skilled, insightful portrait.”
— Booklist -
“Needham…is well worth a biography, and Winchester is just the writer to undertake it…An accessible and provocative book. Essential.”
— Library Journal -
“Another formidable, absorbing reading experience by versatile Winchester…Display[s] the author’s habitual ability to make any subject seem urgently momentous…Makes scholarship positively sexy.”
— Kirkus Reviews
Awards
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A New York Times bestseller
The Man Who Loved China Listener Reviews
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William, 12/21/2020
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" Fast paced, quirky, and consistently entertaining. Wish it had been longer then the <300 it was. I found more thorough discussion about the "Needham question" on Wikipedia. "
— Ben, 2/17/2014 -
" There's no doubt Needham was a genius and a very eccentric character but I think Winchester was stretching to make this a great read. All the same a fascinating introduction to the history of science in China. "
— Andrewhocken, 2/14/2014 -
" I thoroughly enjoyed the first half but thought it tailed off a bit towards the end (it is much harder to make the process of writing and enormous book as fascinating as the extraordinary journeys and research that went into its creation) -- but well worth reading nevertheless and Needham comes across as an extraordinary character "
— Liz, 2/6/2014 -
" This book was given to me. It was done well enough to make me think, "Why have I never heard of this person?" Its about Joseph Needham who is probably responsible for everything you know about China. Very Interesting. "
— Steve, 1/16/2014 -
" I have enjoyed most of Simon Winchester's books and this was no exception. I would rank it just behind my favorite "The Professor and the Madman." "
— Lynne, 1/9/2014 -
" Listen to it on CD. Really enjoyed the history and accomplishments of this amazing man. "
— Claudia, 12/27/2013 -
" I listened to this book on CD in my car and for the most part enjoyed it. I have lived in China yet I had never heard of this man, Joseph Needham, who did so much in opening up China to the West. There are a few things about the man that are not very likable: he was sexually promiscuous (openly had what amounted to a concubine in addition to and with the approval of his "enlightened" wife, a Chinese woman he married after his wife's death), he was a nudist, and he was a communist sympathizer. I know scientists are supposed to be a little on the strange side, but isn't this a bit much? Winchester tries to make him appear normal and respectable and maybe in some ways he was, but it's a little hard to believe given some of these other facts. However, the work Needham did appears to be by any reckoning a monumental and influential work. If you are interested in China, Joseph Needham's is a story you should know. I don't know if this is the best book to tell you that story, but it is a good book. It was interesting, instructive and only occasionally distasteful. And I don't know if the author can be blamed for the distasteful parts, though he can be blamed for sometimes making them seem so acceptable instead of presenting them as ugly as they are. It also has not escaped my notice that the only other book of his I've read was also about a man (in The Professor and the Madman) who was sexually promiscuous and deviant which has made me wonder whether Winchester likes writing about such things. Still, the history of science is fascinating and Needham is a big part of that history. Reading his biography has made me want to read at least part of his multi-volume work. "
— Heather, 12/11/2013 -
" Started out interesting enough, but somewhere along the way I simply lost interest. "
— Don, 12/10/2013 -
" Amazing scholar in an interesting time of history. I learned a lot about China. "
— Mary, 12/6/2013 -
" Magnificent history of Joseph Needham and the story of his research into China's long history as a scientific nation. Highly recommended reading. "
— Charles, 11/10/2013 -
" interesting insights to Chinese invention with the added bonus of well written biography "
— Tricia, 1/1/2013 -
" Well written, fascinating biography but I would have given it a 5 if I had liked Joseph Needham better. Needham was an amazing man who began a multi-volume discourse on China and Science. He also had a wife and a mistress; all got along. "
— Linda, 11/11/2012 -
" dwindled at the end but loved the rest "
— Robin, 10/21/2012 -
" really appreciate winchester's ability to write nonfiction/biography with the ease and accessibility of a good story. will definitely look for more of his! "
— Sarah, 3/28/2012 -
" Interesting man, s good bio of times, culture. I enjoyed thos book. "
— Laura-nassidesa, 10/9/2011 -
" This is the story of a brilliant British scientist (probably aspergers stndrome))who went to China during WWII. He wrote volumes on the contributions of China to world civilisation. A fascinating look at China. "
— Kathy, 9/29/2011 -
" Really Enjoyed it. Especially enjoyed learning about my dad through it. He was at Caius when Needham was in his prime, and i think was one of my dad's heroes. "
— Duncan, 8/29/2011 -
" I'd never heard of him. Fascinating renaissance man. There's nothing terribly exciting -- just an interesting life, well written. "
— Kerry, 8/3/2011 -
" Cambridge scientist love for China takes him in a fantastic journey to write about the great discoveries made by Chinese. "
— Maria, 6/28/2011 -
" A wonderful insight into the life of a rather extraordinary Cambridge don. "
— Judson, 6/25/2011 -
" This book was given to me. It was done well enough to make me think, "Why have I never heard of this person?" Its about Joseph Needham who is probably responsible for everything you know about China. Very Interesting. "
— Steve, 5/9/2011 -
" Not one of his best. The topic is kind of dull. "
— Mike, 4/27/2011 -
" There's no doubt Needham was a genius and a very eccentric character but I think Winchester was stretching to make this a great read. All the same a fascinating introduction to the history of science in China. "
— Andrewhocken, 4/23/2011 -
" Interesting. Very interesting. But I found myself a bit disturbed by the arrogance and ethnocentricity so frequently characterized by the adventurers of that generation. Needham's accomplishments were truly great, but so was his hubris. "
— Jalice, 4/2/2011 -
" An interesting story about Needham, but told in a "Today he did this, tomorrow he will do that." More of a documentary style, not a real story. Great history, not my cup of tea. "
— Jerry, 3/15/2011 -
" Remarkable story of a Renaissance man. Someone everyone should really know about. "
— Adam, 2/2/2011 -
" 137th - 2011<br/><br/>Tuntutlah ilmu sampai ke negeri Cina... "
— Threez, 1/31/2011 -
" A wonderful insight into the life of a rather extraordinary Cambridge don. "
— Judson, 1/18/2011 -
" I particularly liked the description of Needham's adventures: his escape by train from Japanese occupation in WW2, the journey to the Danhuang Caves and to Dujiangyan. <br/> <br/> "
— Janet, 12/16/2010
About Simon Winchester
Simon Winchester is the acclaimed author of many books, including The Professor and the Madman, The Men Who United the States, The Map That Changed the World, The Man Who Loved China, A Crack in the Edge of the World, and Krakatoa, all of which were New York Times bestsellers and appeared on numerous best books of the year lists. In 2006, he was made an officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Her Majesty the Queen.