第二次世界大战中的 194 2年秋 ,英国政府决定派科学家前往访问和支援抗战中的中国 ,通晓中文的李约瑟和牛津大学希腊文教授陶德斯 (E.R.Dodds)被选中。他们受英国文化委员会等机构资助 ,组成英国文化科学赴中国使团 ,代表英国皇家学会去中国进行科学文化交流。同年 9月使团往 In the autumn of 1962, the British government decided to send scientists to visit and support China in the War of Resistance Against Japan, Joseph Needham, who knew Chinese well, and E.Rododds, professor of Greek at Oxford University. They are funded by the British Council and other agencies to form a British cultural science mission to China to represent the Royal Society to China for scientific and cultural exchanges. In September the same year to the Mission