Then they discovered the magnetic properties of the Earth and created the compass. So take that Europeans. J.N. seemed to run off with great speed toward the first of his eleven expeditions (p 165). Among his deigned responsibilities Winchester lists for Needham, the furtherance of his academic career seems to be the only one not sanctioned by His Majesty. And yet it seems to have been the catalyst for most of Needham’s motivation.
So in August of 1943, Needham et. al. combines his resources to head for Dunhuang, Cave 17 to be precise. Today it is named Xinjiang, but during Needham’s time it was known as Chinese Turkistan. Here in the Mogao Grottos was the worlds oldest printed book was located by Marc Aurel Stein some thirty-six years earlier: The Diamond Sutra. And this copy proved interesting in scope beyond that just of mere annual amplification that time presents, but rather it was printed. Do you see that this document was really an edition?
So it was to here that Needham went or is going along. Following in the footsteps of his her, Stein. So this first expedition, to spread cheer, to boost morale, to wave the flag for Britain was in a Chevy (p 169).
The Chevy truck is an interesting aside considering the market for trucks and SUV’s from American auto-makers today. However, I wonder about the significance of Rewi Alley and what type of response this character would have received in the current “Who is thinking for the children!” mentality the contemporary USA has become.