Customer Reviews

Imperial Chinese Armies : 200 BC-589 AD (Men-At-Arms Series, 284)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This title looks at the campaigns, soldiers, and weaponry of a colorful period in Chinese history, from the reunification of China by Kao-ti to the fall of Ch'en and another reunification of China under Yang Chien. This exciting and bloody period in history watched the rise, decline, and fall of the Han Dynasty, and a number of barbarian invasions not unlike those taking place in contemporary Europe. Among these barbarians were the Hsiung-nu, a steppe people some believe to have been the ancestors of the Huns.

The author takes a look at some vital aspects of the early Imperial armies, such as the influence of the barbarian tribes on equipment and tactics (he shows how 'cataphract' heavy cavalry spread not only westwards from the steppes but east into China as well). He also takes a fairly deep look at the grand political and military aspects of ancient China, showing how Chinese history in this period is not as simple as one dynasty being overcome, leading to several years of civil war before another ambitious young warlord founded his own dynasty, only to repeat the cycle several centuries later.

The author divides the military history of China in this period into several parts, each being discussed individually. Weapons, battle tactics, recruitment, and military thought are all profiled as well. The color plates by Michael Perry support the text well, and are of high quality. Plate 'C' is my favorite; it shows a Han lancer about to kill a Hsiung-nu horse archer.

Overall, this book is a valuable source on the armies of the Han and Sung Dynasties of ancient China, and of their barbarian neighbors, and makes an interesting and informable read.

Something annoys me about this book, as with many other of Chris Peer's books. I think it is the way he only uses sources available in Britain. I am Chinese, and I'm afraid I don't really respect the few bits of "evidence" that get to the British Museum. Why not Hong Kong or Beijing museum!! Apart from that minor flaw, I think this book is still very good, with convincing though sometimes ugly illustrations backed up with interesting info. Just don't expect any obscure ancient sources to be cited.

Lets face it there just aren't that many books on Imperial China during the period between 200BC and 589AD that combined good information, pictures and details. Well this book could be considered a coffee table book since it doesn't delve into the period much. However it does provide a good overview of the main events of the time period in China through various short essays, provides a good number of black and white photographs and eight pages of colored prints showing you what the armor probably looked like.

If your interested in the era and the armies of china then this is not a bad way to start. If you wanted stories and battles then you might want to look elsewhere but a true sinophile should have a copy of this on in their library.

This book is far too brief to cover almost eight hundred years of Chinese military history. Peers jumps quickly from period to period, providing a very thin summary of each, but not enough for the reader to understand the context of military developments. To make things worse, he makes broad assertions without providing references. Thus, the text is strewn with facts and events without much context.

Treatment of important subjects like tactics and military organisation is very uneven. Very little is said of military institutions. Quite a lot is known, for example, about the organisation of the regular imperial army of the Han dynasty. Even more is known about military ranks, and the military functions of various positions in the bureaucracy. Yet Peers neglects to cover these topics altogether.

The illustrating plates, by Michael Perry, are somewhat clumsy. They seem to reinforce the impression that this book is an amateurish Western conceptualisation of the "Orient". This book is woefully inadequate, even as an introduction to Chinese military history.

This book would be best read with David Graff's "Medieval Chinese Warfare", which has much better coverage but not the colour plates. Peers' level of analysis on such issues as the Hun-Xiongnu connection and the historical authenticity of the Fei River Battle will not satisfy academic readers, while his cursory approach to the events of the long Han-Tang transition are sufficient only to pique the interest of the layman. His list for further reading is, however, poorly put together and the extensive bibliography in Graff's book is much more helpful. Nonetheless Osprey's colour plates never disappoint, and add much value that the text by itself lacks.

The Men-at-arms Series covers ancient and classical China in five books, all by Chris Peers who is very familiar with the subject. This is the second book of this series. The chapters: Chronology -- The Western Han -- The Eastern Han -- Recruitment -- Organisation -- Weapons -- Defences -- Garrison Life -- The Three Kingdoms and the Ts'in -- The Barbarian Invasions -- Armies of the Invasion Period -- The art of war in the early Imperial Age -- Ten significant battles. The text focuses on telling Chinas military history; it is very weak on topics like weapons or battle tactics. The drawings by Michael Perry are ok. The maps are primitive and not very useful. This book is the sequel to "Ancient Chinese Armies 1500 - 200BC" (MAA218). The next book in the series is "Imperial Chinese Armies 590 - 1260AD" (MAA 295).