The Varying Visibility of Lu Gwei-djen and Dorothy Moyle Needham in Anglo-Chinese Scientific Relations, 1944–1972

While there is a growing body of work on the role of scientists in international affairs, much of this research deals with professional and official interactions. This article argues that gendered personal and intimate dimensions are just as relevant, both for the actors involved and for external perceptions of them. It makes this broader point by focusing on the biochemists Dr Dorothy Moyle Needham and Dr Lu Gwei-djen, both of whom were deeply involved in international activities that helped to cement Dr Joseph Needham’s prominence as a key figure in twentieth-century Anglo-Chinese scientific relations. From their joint work for the Sino-British Science Cooperation Office during the 1940s through later engagement with the People’s Republic of China’s ‘people-to-people diplomacy’, the article demonstrates that gender-related questions of visibility and invisibility are vital to understanding the nature and contexts of science diplomacy.