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Warfare in Chinese History. Edited by Hans van de Ven. Leiden, Netherlands: Brill, 2000. ISBN 90-04-11774-1. Illustrations. Maps. Tables. Notes. Index. Pp. 456. $118.
The military history of China is a relatively unexplored field of study, leading to stereotypical views of the ways the Chinese have waged war. There has been too much emphasis on Sunzi and not enough empirical research. This book is part of the effort to close that gap. In doing this, the authors collectively point out that not only is there a need for more scholarship, but that much current scholarship must be reexamined. This collection of conference papers is uniformly superb. Chronologically, the subjects range across seventeen hundred years and while it would be tempting to single out one or two essays for special praise, they all fit the editor's goal of adding "to our knowledge of Chinese warfare" (p. 1).
The book consists of Hans van de Ven's "Introduction,", Jeremy Black's "Conclusion"...