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On Saturday, May 15, 1965, Joseph Needham addressed a packed assembly hall at Church House Westminster, central London, to announce the birth of “an organization for promoting friendship and mutual understanding between the British and Chinese peoples.”
The renowned Cambridge University biochemist and science historian spoke about his friendships with Chinese scholars, his study of the Chinese language, and his scientific and technical liaison mission during World War II to Chongqing, the country’s wartime capital.
“One must always remember that China is not only a different country from ours… but a different civilization,” he told the audience, which included bishops, members of parliament, professors, artists, writers and trade union leaders.
He said, “Thus the huge gap of fundamental assumptions has to be bridged, as well as all the fascinating differences that arise in philosophy, art, landscape, religion, customs, etc. This requires a real effort towards understanding the basic purpose of our new society.”
It was named the Society for Anglo-Chinese Understanding, or SACU, which played an important role in people-to-people exchanges between China and the United Kingdom over the next decades.
Fast forward to a Saturday in late September. Around 200 people have gathered at King’s College London, celebrating SACU’s 60th anniversary.
Almost all of SACU’s main activities began in its first years, including public conferences, film screenings, discussion meetings, Chinese language classes and, most notably, tours to China.
In the 1970s, these tours offered ordinary Britons one of the few ways to see the country with their own eyes.
Francis Wood – a sinologist, historian and former chief curator of the British Library’s Chinese collection – joined SACU’s first youth tour to China in 1971.
“What I liked most was seeing China and meeting the people,” he recalled. “I would go around the villages where we stayed, walk around and talk to people.”
That initial curiosity never left him. Wood published widely on Chinese history, from Marco Polo and the Silk Road to China’s first emperor, and always tried to highlight the bigger picture through personal stories.
From the 1980s, China’s openness aroused widespread public interest, and SACU – through its relationship with the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries – was able to expand its tours. By 1985, the Society said that more than 10,000 people were members at one time or another.
As well as its tours and public events, SACU also built a publishing presence. In May 1970, it launched a monthly magazine, China Now, designed to provide Western readers with a more in-depth discussion of developments in China. In 1996 the magazine was renamed China in Focus and from 2004 onwards it began publishing as China Eye.
The magazines’ content was mostly written by SACU members, including the latest news about China, announcements of upcoming lectures, book reviews, and first-hand reports about China written by members returning from the latest SACU tour.
As China became more open in the 1990s, society faced increasing competition. Yet, with its unique history, prominent members and high-level connections, SACU still has the potential to “punch above its weight”, said several attendees of the 60th anniversary celebration.
Education was one of the areas towards which Zoe Reed attempted to move SACU. Reed, who has served as SACU president since 2009, outlined the organization’s next five-year plan.
One of SACU’s major projects is a joint essay competition with Peking University that encourages UK high school students to research topics such as bridging the cultural gap between China and the West, taking a historical view of China–UK relations.
Sun Hua, director of Peking University’s China Center for Edgar Snow Studies, was a participant in the project. The number of schools taking part has expanded since the competition began in 2015 at Needham’s alma mater, Oundley School, Peterborough.
“I am very pleased to be here to continue Joseph Needham’s great work of enhancing harmony and understanding between the Chinese and British peoples,” said Sun, who traveled to London to present awards to student winners on SACU’s anniversary.
Carrying on the spirit of Needham, SACU continues to broaden the conversation about China in the UK by engaging with scholars, artists and public intellectuals. Among those lending their voices was historian and broadcaster Michael Wood, who has served as SACU president since 2020.
Speaking at the anniversary celebration, Wood said: “I hope that through all the other modern aspects of media, SACU will find partners, expand its reach, and expand knowledge about China, but still miss the key goal that was spoken about at that forum in 1965.
“Friendship and understanding – this is what is needed most in such a dangerous and unstable world.”