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Soldiers of the Dragon: Chinese Armies 1500 BC-AD 1840
The turbulent history of China has seen many dynastic struggles over the centuries, ever since the semi-nomadic tribes of ancient China were unified under the first emperor, Cheng. From the Great Wall to the terracotta army at Xian, monuments to China's many wars, and the men who fought them, litter the landscape. This book tells the incredible story of China's armies form the first documented civilization over 3,000 years ago to the outbreak of the first Opium War with Britain in the middle of the 19th century. Written by an acknowledged expert on Chinese armies, this volume offers details of their colourful uniforms and fascinating weaponry with colour and black and white photographs, artwork, maps and diagrams.
248 pages, Hardcover
First published June 27, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
October 22, 2020
If you only have a brief description of the military situation in ancient China, then this is the book for you. Please note that this is very basic and will not go into detail about battles and equipment. In fact, China has a very long history of warfare. My only complaint is that it doesn't include detailed information about the ming dynasty army. That would have made it perfect.
February 19, 2017
when Osprey employs a single writer to deal with the 3500-year military history of imperial China, then bundles it in a perkily priced hardcover, it's usually a sign that the man in question knows his stuff.
So with Peers, his expertise enriched by the stellar artwork of Angus McBride and others. It's mostly about tactis and weapons as usual for the Men-at-Arms series.
I miss the synergy between the art of war and the society that produces it as much as the crimson result. The political framework is Spartan, with a periodical battle list thrown in hapzardly.
So with Peers, his expertise enriched by the stellar artwork of Angus McBride and others. It's mostly about tactis and weapons as usual for the Men-at-Arms series.
I miss the synergy between the art of war and the society that produces it as much as the crimson result. The political framework is Spartan, with a periodical battle list thrown in hapzardly.
April 13, 2020
A great book That gave me insight into Chinese military history. I learned a lot of new things and because of this book, I want to study more in depth on ancient and !medieval Chinese history.
November 7, 2013
This was the first Osprey book I've read and it was a nice, compact compendium for the layperson of a specialized area of interest. The chronology, illustrations, plates and diagrams were very useful. I was rather uncomfortable with the very general references--no footnotes--and the presentation of Chinese names only in transliteration; unless one is already familiar with the historical personae referred to, if the Chinese characters for their names are not offered, it's very hard to know what a name actually is. Without tonal markings, is the surname "Wei" 魏 or 韋? And for the given names, there are even more possibilities. The book is nonetheless a useful resource.
February 18, 2018
Awesome. Very informative about the Chinese Armies. Not an easy reading because of the theme, but not a tiresome one.
January 29, 2023
Imperial China has never had an effective military, it just relies on the Great Wall the keep the barbarians out. C.J. Peers Soldiers of the Dragon is a book mostly to show how this was not true. It is an extremely broad account of Chinese military history from 1500BC to 1840AD. This then is a good introduction to Chinese military history but the sweep of history means you won’t get much detail.
This is probably as easy to read as you can expect of a history covering 3000 years of events. But that does still mean it can be a bit bewildering. While someone new to Chinese history may be coming into reading this thinking China is always one nation that will swiftly be dispelled with a bewildering number of dynasties, particularly minor ones during periods of fragmentation when there can be multiple Chinese states. It is hard to imagine that anyone would seriously attempt to write a military history of Western Europe over the same time period covering from the Celts, through Romans, barbarian armies, medieval feudalism, the rise of centralised state armies, and finally into the beginnings of modern war with Napoleon. But this is essentially what this book does for the other end of Eurasia. Broad brush would be an understatement.
This vast period presents a challenge to the structure too. We get periods with multiple dynasties grouped together. In each we get a bit of narrative history, the structure of armies, their organisation and doctrine, and then a bit with a paragraph on a number of major battles. Much of this makes sense, particularly if the reader is dipping in. But reading from end to end it works less well. In particular it can be difficult to tell where in the narrative each of the battles are. Many battles are not actually mentioned in the narrative section and the description of the battle is very short so it is difficult to tell cause and results. Was a battle pivotal, or providing an example of how Chinese armies fought? It is often difficult to tell. It may have worked better to work them into the narrative instead.
As with all Osprey books Soldiers of the Dragon is gloriously illustrated. The pictures of Chinese warriors throughout give an idea of the equipment in a way that descriptions would be unlikely to do justice. As do photos of arms and armour and of paintings of some important generals. But unfortunately, the maps are somewhat lacking. There are certainly plenty of them, but they usually only include outlines of the borders of states the capital city and the Yellow and Yangtze rivers. Given the influence of topography on military warfare this is therefore a bit lacking. Moreover, there are a lot of place names that are not included on maps, and since this book is an introduction the reader can’t be expected to know where in China places mentioned are (even before accounting for name changes!)
Great as an introduction to Chinese military history, or as a coffee table style book to dip into and enjoy the illustrations. But definitely only a starting point.
This is probably as easy to read as you can expect of a history covering 3000 years of events. But that does still mean it can be a bit bewildering. While someone new to Chinese history may be coming into reading this thinking China is always one nation that will swiftly be dispelled with a bewildering number of dynasties, particularly minor ones during periods of fragmentation when there can be multiple Chinese states. It is hard to imagine that anyone would seriously attempt to write a military history of Western Europe over the same time period covering from the Celts, through Romans, barbarian armies, medieval feudalism, the rise of centralised state armies, and finally into the beginnings of modern war with Napoleon. But this is essentially what this book does for the other end of Eurasia. Broad brush would be an understatement.
This vast period presents a challenge to the structure too. We get periods with multiple dynasties grouped together. In each we get a bit of narrative history, the structure of armies, their organisation and doctrine, and then a bit with a paragraph on a number of major battles. Much of this makes sense, particularly if the reader is dipping in. But reading from end to end it works less well. In particular it can be difficult to tell where in the narrative each of the battles are. Many battles are not actually mentioned in the narrative section and the description of the battle is very short so it is difficult to tell cause and results. Was a battle pivotal, or providing an example of how Chinese armies fought? It is often difficult to tell. It may have worked better to work them into the narrative instead.
As with all Osprey books Soldiers of the Dragon is gloriously illustrated. The pictures of Chinese warriors throughout give an idea of the equipment in a way that descriptions would be unlikely to do justice. As do photos of arms and armour and of paintings of some important generals. But unfortunately, the maps are somewhat lacking. There are certainly plenty of them, but they usually only include outlines of the borders of states the capital city and the Yellow and Yangtze rivers. Given the influence of topography on military warfare this is therefore a bit lacking. Moreover, there are a lot of place names that are not included on maps, and since this book is an introduction the reader can’t be expected to know where in China places mentioned are (even before accounting for name changes!)
Great as an introduction to Chinese military history, or as a coffee table style book to dip into and enjoy the illustrations. But definitely only a starting point.
January 21, 2021
Overall, an interesting look at Chinese military history. Very informative.
February 7, 2017
This was a pretty good book that took me longer to get through than it should have but this was exceptionally hard compared to most other books of the type because of my relative ignorance of the subject matter. I've neglected Eastern Military History in large part as I think that many people in the West are prone to do. Part of that is due no doubt to difficulties in names, difficulties in finding a wide variety of English translations, and difficulty identifying with many of the societies and cultures.
All of that aside, this really was a good book that was incredibly educational. As China is only set to become more and more of a world player than they already are I think that things like this should be added to professional military reading lists and the fact that they aren't already is disappointing somewhat.
All of that aside, this really was a good book that was incredibly educational. As China is only set to become more and more of a world player than they already are I think that things like this should be added to professional military reading lists and the fact that they aren't already is disappointing somewhat.
November 25, 2009
Pretty cool book I picked up cheap at Barnes and Noble. Basically, it's five Men at Arms books about Chinese military history compiled into one volume. Well worth the 12 some-odd bucks I paid for it.
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October 4, 2015Osprey publishers have a wide variety of awesome military histories. You wouldn't be likely to find this in a college classroom, but that can be a plus. It's not a hard read, but extremely informative.
August 19, 2012
Me likies. 8-)
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews