|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
China at War: an Encyclopedia A brief
introductory chapter (pp. xix-xxxiv) maps out the book’s broad
contours. Among an impressive array of topics covered are Sunzi’s
classic, The Art of War, Mao’s theory- and practice- of
guerrilla warfare, Chinese involvement in the Korean and later Vietnam
wars. It also takes note of its nuclear programme in the 21st century.
Here in brief are some of the entries picked up at random and broadly
representative of the text as a whole.
Korean
War (1950-1953)
The war effectively militarised the
containment policy. Earlier the US funded Marshall Plan (1948-51) had
been almost entirely non-military. From now on Washington shifted
heavily toward military rearmament. The war also marked a sustained
militarization of American foreign policy with the Sino-Vietnamese
border war (1979), a logical consequence. Militarily the (Korean) war
was interesting for its extensive use of helicopters and jet aircraft.
Also a reminder that airpower alone cannot win wars that command of
the sea was no less important. For the record no formal peace has
to-date been concluded and technically the two Koreas remain at war
with the 38th parallel one of the Cold War’s lone outposts.
Sino-Vietnamese
Border War (1979)
The Chinese viewed it as a punitive war
that revealed serious problems in their military handicapped by a poor
logistical system and lack of fighting experience. More importantly,
the war failed to resolve the disputes between Beijing and Washington
two countries, pushing them further apart. Although China withdrew its
troops from Vietnam a month after the outbreak of hostilities armed
conflicts lingered over a decade.
The civil service system was revised
during the Song dynasty. Examinations were modified to remove any bias
resulting in a more diverse body of civil service employees. The
Mongols who had succeeded in toppling both the Jin dynasty and the
Liao dynasty in the north ended the Southern Song too in 1279
Taiwan
Strait Crisis (1995-1996)
The high command in Beijing had learned an
important lesson from the 1995-1996 crisis namely that the US would
not watch a PLA attack on Taiwan with folded hands. More, the PLA had
to be prepared to deal with a major US military intervention in the
Taiwan Strait.
Terra Cotta Army
The
first excavation of the site in north-western Shaanxi lasted six
years, 1978-84, exposing over 1,000 statues in the largest of the
three pits. The second took place in 1985, but failed due to
technological issues. The third excavation began in June 2009. Earlier
(1987), UNESCO declared it a world heritage site.
Ye
Jianying (Yeh Chien-ying) 1897-1986
Military and political leader of the
Chinese Communist Party (CCP or the Communist Party of China), Marshal
of the People’s Liberation Army and defence minister, Ye played an
instrumental role in the political and military affairs of both the
Party and the Government.
Zuo Zongtang (Tso
Tsung-tang) (1812-1885)
Well
known as General Zuo in the West, he was a key military and
administrative official of the Qing dynasty (1644-1912) who along with
Zeng Guofan (1811-1872) and Li Hongzhang (1823-1901)crushed the
Taiping Rebellion (1850-1864) and began the ‘self-strengthening
movement’ to modernize China’s industry and defenses. The book’s
title, China at War, is grossly misleading. It smacks of
sensationalism, of cheap notoriety. For this large and impressive tome
is by no means the country’s military history alone; it proffers a
rich backdrop to the larger whole of China’s evolution through the
ages and brings it to-date. Each entry, written by an expert in the
field, is reasonably comprehensive. The writer is professor and chair
of the Department of History and Geography and Director of the Western
Pacific Institute of the University of Central Oklahoma.
|
||
|
|
||
Here is a stupendous
work of more than ordinary dimensions, both in terms of its physical
expanse dimensions as well as content. A large-size tome approximating
24 & 15 cm, its major thrust is not so much conventional military
history as the title mistakenly suggests as furnishing a broad
account, arranged in alphabetical order, of China’s long history as
well as a compendium of its values, concepts and attitudes to war.
Differently put, here is a broad picture of China’s socio-political
history against the backdrop of its security concerns and strategic
calculations that go into decision-making process.
Song
dynasty (960-1279)
