Joseph Needham was invited by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (formerly Academia Sinica) to work on Science and Civilisation in China. Volume 4 Part 2 (Mechanical Engineering) was due to be published later in 1964 and Volume 4 Part 3 (Civil Engineering and Nautics) was sent to Cambridge University Press for publication during this visit. Joseph Needham also intended to supply photographs for Volume 4 Part 3 from this visit.
He was accompanied by Dorothy Needham and Lu Gwei-Djen.
He brought home 7 notebooks, 30 Leica films and 447 books or tractates.
Route:
London to Shanghai (via Karachi and Dacca [Dhaka]). A month in Beijing followed by a journey within China to the North-West then South-East
Then to Japan (10-11 Oct. Kyoto, 12 Oct. Osaka, 18 Oct. Horyuji and Nara, 19 Oct. Kyoto, 20 Oct. Kamakura, 21 Tokyo)
Then to Hong Kong.
Return Hong Kong to London.
Dates of journey: 1 Jul. 1964 - 24/25 Oct. 1964