As the first book of its kind, China at War: An Encyclopedia expands far beyond the conventional military history book that is focused on describing key wars, battles, military leaders, and influential events. Author Xiaobing Li—an expert writer in the subjects of Asian history and military affairs—provides not only a broad, chronological account of China’s long military history, but also addresses Chinese values, concepts, and attitudes regarding war. As a result, readers can better understand the wider sociopolitical history of the most populous and one of the largest countries in the world—and grasp the complex security concerns and strategic calculations often behind China’s decision-making process.

This encyclopedia contains an introductory essay written to place the reference entries within a larger contextual framework, allowing students to compare Chinese with Western and American views and approaches to war. Topics among the hundreds of entries by experts in the field include Sunzi’s classic The Art of War, Mao Zedong’s guerrilla warfare in the 20th century, Chinese involvement in the Korean War and Vietnam War, and China’s nuclear program in the 21st century.

Features

• Approximately 300 A–Z entries covering China's military tradition over the past 2,500 years
• Contributions from over 50 distinguished international scholars from China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, Great Britain, Canada, and the United States
• Maps of China and Asia, depicting provinces and major cities, major battles and campaigns, and disputed borders
• Photographs of military leaders, soldiers, weapon systems, and battle grounds
• Selected multicultural bibliography of research materials from the field of military history, both in English and in Chinese
• A helpful appendix of Chinese dynasties