A History of Traditional Chinese Military Science

The chief author, Huang Pumin, is a professor from Renmin University of China and one of the leading scholars in classical Chinese military theory, particularly Sunzi’s Art of War. His books, including A Military History: The Spring and Autumn Period (1998) and A Critical Biography of He Xiu (2002), have received several national book awards and nominations. Wei Hong once worked as Research Fellow at the Chinese Academy of Military Science. She published A Study of Sunzi’s Military Theory in the Song Dynasty (2011) and the volume on Song, Liao, Xia, Jin and Yuan military theories in A Comprehensive History of Chinese Military Science (2022). Xiong Jianping is a professor from National University of Defense Technology in China. His major publications include A New Study of Sunzi’s Art of War (2021) and The Intelligence Thought in Sunzi’s Art of War (co-authored with Gao Jinhu, 2019). The translator, Fan Hao, teaches at Nanjing University, China. Her translations include The Sun between Their Feet (2008), How to Read Literature (2015) and Shakespeare’s Restless World (2016).

Preface to the English Translation – Introduction – The Emergence of Warfare and Military Thought in the Xia and Shang Dynasties – The Military Theory and Culture in the West Zhou Dynasty – The Development of Military Tactics and Theory in the Spring and Autumn Period – The Theoretical System in The Art of War – The Prosperity of Military Theory in the Warring States Period – The Military Theory of Pre-Qin Scholars – The Achievements of Military Science in the Qin and Han Dynasties – Military Science in the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties – Military Theory in the Sui, Tang and Five Dynasties – Military Science in the Song Dynasty – The Communication and Integration of Military Science Among Multiple Ethnic Groups – Military Science in the Ming Dynasty: From Prosperity to Decline – The Coastal Defence Strategy and Qi Jiguang’s Contribution to Military Science – The Use of Firearms and the New Look of Military Theory – The End of Traditional Chinese Military Science – Coastal Defence and Naval Construction in the Qing Dynasty – The Transition of Modern Chinese Military Science and Its Significance – Selected Bibliography – Index of People – Index of Important Terms.