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Author: Ralph D. Sawyer
Publisher: Basic Books
ISBN: 0465023347
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 576
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Book Description
The history of China is a history of warfare. Rarely in its 3,000-year existence has the country not been beset by war, rebellion, or raids. Warfare was a primary source of innovation, social evolution, and material progress in the Legendary Era, Hsia dynasty, and Shang dynasty--indeed, war was the force that formed the first cohesive Chinese empire, setting China on a trajectory of state building and aggressive activity that continues to this day. In Ancient Chinese Warfare, a preeminent expert on Chinese military history uses recently recovered documents and archaeological findings to construct a comprehensive guide to the developing technologies, strategies, and logistics of ancient Chinese militarism. The result is a definitive look at the tools and methods that won wars and shaped culture in ancient China.
Author: Ralph D. Sawyer
Publisher: Basic Books
ISBN: 0465023347
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 576
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Book Description
The history of China is a history of warfare. Rarely in its 3,000-year existence has the country not been beset by war, rebellion, or raids. Warfare was a primary source of innovation, social evolution, and material progress in the Legendary Era, Hsia dynasty, and Shang dynasty--indeed, war was the force that formed the first cohesive Chinese empire, setting China on a trajectory of state building and aggressive activity that continues to this day. In Ancient Chinese Warfare, a preeminent expert on Chinese military history uses recently recovered documents and archaeological findings to construct a comprehensive guide to the developing technologies, strategies, and logistics of ancient Chinese militarism. The result is a definitive look at the tools and methods that won wars and shaped culture in ancient China.
Author: David Graff
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134553536
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 304
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Book Description
Shortly after 300 AD, barbarian invaders from Inner Asia toppled China's Western Jin dynasty, leaving the country divided and at war for several centuries. Despite this, the empire gradually formed a unified imperial order. Medieval Chinese Warfare, 300-900 explores the military strategies, institutions and wars that reconstructed the Chinese empire that has survived into modern times. Drawing on classical Chinese sources and the best modern scholarship from China and Japan, David A. Graff connects military affairs with political and social developments to show how China's history was shaped by war.
Author: David Andrew Graff
Publisher: University Press of Kentucky
ISBN: 0813135842
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 346
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Book Description
Gaining an understanding of China's long and sometimes bloody history can help to shed light on China's ascent to global power. Many of China's imperial dynasties were established as the result of battle, from the chariot warfare of ancient times to the battles of the Guomindang (KMT) and Communist regimes of the twentieth century. China's ability to sustain complex warfare on a very large scale was not emulated in other parts of the world until the Industrial Age, despite the fact that the country is only now rising to economic dominance. In A Military History of China, Updated Edition, David A. Graff and Robin Higham bring together leading scholars to offer a basic introduction to the military history of China from the first millennium B.C.E. to the present. Focusing on recurring patterns of conflict rather than traditional campaign narratives, this volume reaches farther back into China's military history than similar studies. It also offers insightful comparisons between Chinese and Western approaches to war. This edition brings the volume up to date, including discussions of the Chinese military's latest developments and the country's most recent foreign conflicts.
Author: Ralph D. Sawyer
Publisher: Hachette UK
ISBN: 1541674294
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 468
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Book Description
The Seven Military Classics is one of the most profound studies of warfare ever written, a stanchion in sinological and military history. It presents an Eastern tradition of strategic thought that emphasizes outwitting one's opponent through speed, stealth, flexibility, and a minimum of force -- an approach very different from that stressed in the West. Safeguarded for centuries by the ruling elite of imperial China, even in modern times these writings have been known only to a handful of Western specialists. This volume contains seven separate essays, written between 500 BCE and 700 CE, that preserve the essential tenets of strategy distilled from the experience of the most brilliant warriors of ancient China.
Author: Sun Tzu
Publisher: Arcturus Publishing
ISBN: 1788880188
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 220
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Book Description
Written between 500 BCE and 700 CE, these seven texts have inspired generals for millennia, both in China and the wider world. Featuring Sun Tzu's The Art of War, this new translation brings to light the military masterpieces of ancient China. These seven texts display an understanding of strategy and warfare still relevant more than 2,000 years after they were originally written. Together, they present a uniquely eastern tradition of warfare that emphasizes speed, stealth, and cunning. This collection includes: • The Art of War • Wuzi • Wei Liaozi • Taigong's Six Secret Teachings • The Methods of the Sima • Questions and Replies Between Emperor Taizong of Tang and General Li Jing.
Author: Chris Peers
Publisher: Pen and Sword
ISBN: 1473830117
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 146
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Book Description
In the field of military history as in so many others, the Chinese have often been both admired and seen as something utterly mysterious and inscrutable. Chris Peers illuminates the evolution of the military art in China with reference to ten battles, spanning more than 2,000 years, from the Battle of Mu in 1027BC to the Fall of Chung Tu in 1215 AD. Selected both for their historical importance and for the light which they shed on weapons and tactics, the author uses these examples to discuss the many myths still current in the West about ancient Chinese warfare: for example that the Chinese were an unwarlike people, always preferring subterfuge over the use of force; or that they were essentially defensive minded, relying on works such as the Great Wall. On the other hand, a recent reaction to this dismissive attitude portrays China as technologically far in advance of the West. Battles of Ancient China shows that none of these stereotypes are accurate. Comparison with contemporary Western practice is a major theme of the book which adds a new perspective not developed in the author's previous works on the subject.
Author: Sun-tzu
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN: 9781519626295
Category : Leadership
Languages : en
Pages : 136
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Book Description
The Art of War is the earliest known treatise on war and military strategy in the world. It is a systematic guide to strategy and tactics for common men, business leaders, rulers and commanders. It is regarded as one of the most influential philosophical works of Ancient China. Sun Tzu's teachings are brief yet elegant, simple yet philosophical and exceedingly pragmatic. The book has recently been endlessly reinterpreted, reinvented, and imitated. Sun Tzu was a Chinese military strategist, Taoist philosopher and general in the 6th century BCE. His insistence on the close relationship between political considerations and military policy greatly influenced many modern leaders and strategists, including Henry Kissinger. This deluxe edition covers The Art of War in three parts. Part 1 presents the best selling and most authentic translation of Sun Tzu so far, the translation of Lionel Giles. Part 2 includes an extensive introduction to the book written by Giles which focuses, among others, on the historical context of Sun Tzu's text, Sun Tzu's life and work, contemporary scholarship on Sun Tzu, and Sun Tzu's thoughts on war and violence. Part 3 includes summaries of all 13 chapters of the book, a brief history of ancient Chinese military before and after Sun Tzu, review questions for learners, a recommended bibliography of modern critical appreciations for further reading.
Author: Victoria Tin-bor Hui
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521525763
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 310
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Book Description
There is a common belief that the system of sovereign territorial states and the roots of liberal democracy are unique to European civilization and alien to non-Western cultures. The view has generated popular cynicism about democracy promotion in general and China's prospect for democratization in particular. This book demonstrates that China in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods (656-221 BC) consisted of a system of sovereign territorial states similar to Europe in the early modern period. It examines why China and Europe shared similar processes but experienced opposite outcomes.
Author: Christopher C. Rand
Publisher: SUNY Press
ISBN: 1438465173
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 244
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Book Description
Provides a systematic and comprehensive survey of writings on military philosophy in early China. This study of the philosophy of war in early China examines the recurring debate, from antiquity through the Western Han period (202 BCE8 CE), about how to achieve a proper balance between martial (wu) force and civil (wen) governance in the pursuit of a peaceful state. Rather than focusing solely on Sunzis Art of War and other military treatises from the Warring States era (ca. 475221 BCE), Christopher C. Rand analyzes the evolution of this debate by examining a broad corpus of early Han and pre-Han texts, including works uncovered in archeological excavations during recent decades. What emerges is a framework for understanding early Chinas military philosophy as an ongoing negotiation between three major alternatives: militarism, compartmentalism, and syncretism. Military Thought in Early China offers a look into Chinas historical experience with a perennial issue that is not only of continuing relevance to modern-day China but also pertinent to other world states seeking to sustain strong and harmonious societies. With its close engagement with and nuanced interpretation of a truly impressive range of sources, this book illuminates a field that gets too little serious attention. Charles Sanft, author of Communication and Cooperation in Early Imperial China: Publicizing the Qin Dynasty
Author: Nicola Di Cosmo
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 0674262999
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 468
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Book Description
This volume explores the relationship between culture and the military in Chinese society from early China to the Qing empire, with contributions by eminent scholars aiming to reexamine the relationship between military matters and law, government, historiography, art, philosophy, literature, and politics. The book critically investigates the perception that, due to the influence of Confucianism, Chinese culture has systematically devalued military matters. There was nothing inherently pacifist about the Chinese governments’ views of war, and pragmatic approaches—even aggressive and expansionist projects—often prevailed. Though it has changed in form, a military elite has existed in China from the beginning of its history, and military service included a large proportion of the population at any given time. Popular literature praised the martial ethos of fighting men. Civil officials attended constantly to military matters on the administrative and financial ends. The seven military classics produced in antiquity continued to be read even into the modern period. These original essays explore the ways in which intellectual, civilian, and literary elements helped shape the nature of military institutions, theory, and the culture of war. This important contribution bridges two literatures, military and cultural, that seldom appear together in the study of China, and deepens our understanding of war and society in Chinese history.
