China Military History Atlas

Author: Compiled by the Chinese Military Museum
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 1998-11-01
Features: ★8th edition, hardcover, published by Hunan People's Publishing House and Hunan Education Press in November 1998 ★The book is divided into two volumes, arranged in four parts: ancient, modern, contemporary, and modern. It includes over 4,000 pictures, nearly 400,000 words of overviews and text descriptions, and appropriately reflects military construction, weaponry, military figures, and military thought. ★Primarily historical photographs, with some precious historical artifacts, documents, artworks, and charts included. Most of these pictures and artifacts are collections of the Military Museum. ★Renowned calligrapher Li Duo inscribed the title "Chinese Military Culture." Chinese military culture holds a very prominent position in the vast and splendid historical and cultural heritage of the Chinese nation. In the "Illustrated History of Chinese Military (Set of Two Volumes)," the intricately decorated bronze weapons, powerful bows and crossbows that could pierce armor, and war chariots that roamed the plains were unparalleled in craftsmanship and combat performance at the time; the Great Wall stretching for thousands of miles became the largest defensive system of its era, with its architectural scale and craftsmanship still awe-inspiring to this day; the invention and use of gunpowder once drove military revolutions in China and the world, sending cold weapons into the museum of history; the invention of the compass made naval battles and land expeditions possible, boosting the leapfrog development of military surveying; the invention of paper made the creation, transmission of military documents and maps more convenient, promoting the exchange and progress of military thought; the "Art of War" from the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods laid a solid foundation for the development of Chinese military history with its profound military theories, enjoying a high reputation in the history of global military development. In the contemporary era, Chinese military culture, represented by the military thought, has been recorded in history for its glorious achievements. The wars of the primitive clan society were the origin stage of Chinese warfare. Between tribes, armed conflicts sometimes occurred as they vied for better living conditions, involving collective participation of clan members. Initially, people used stone, wood, bamboo, and bone tools for weapons and moats and walls for fortifications to defend against fierce beasts. Later, specialized weapons gradually emerged, primarily stone weapons. Metal weapons only appeared in the later stages of primitive society. The use of strategy in warfare was merely legendary and had not yet been recorded in writing.