Medieval Chinese Warfare 300-900

Warfare and History

by David A. Graff

Shortly after 300 AD, barbarian invaders from Inner Asia toppled China's Western Jin dynasty, leaving the country divided and at war for several centuries. Despite this, the empire gradually formed a unified imperial order. Medieval Chinese Warfare, 300-900 explores the military strategies, institutions and wars that reconstructed the Chinese empire that has survived into modern times.
Drawing on classical Chinese sources and the best modern scholarship from China and Japan, David A. Graff connects military affairs with political and social developments to show how China's history was shaped by war.

Genres: History, China, Nonfiction, Military Fiction, War, Grad School, Medieval

300 pages, Hardcover

First published November 29, 2001

Reviews

[Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Last night I finished reading, Medieval Chinese Warfare, 300-900 AD by David A. Graff. I had originally found it at half price books, and while I'm not normally that excited by military history it was so rare to find a book that covered the Tang in a used book store I had to get it.

The book was the first English language book to look at the history of Chinese warfare during this time period. It seemed to have two intended audiences, those who were interested in military history and knew little about Chinese history and those who were interested in Chinese history but had not looked at the military history in depth. The first intended audience made it in many ways a good introductory book for Chinese history. Graff also drew on enough primary sources and secoundary Chinese and Japanese scholarship to have interest to those who already had an understanding of the time period but wanted to learn more about the specific role of the military during this time.

Graff spent a great deal of time looking at the contribution of the northern "barbarian" tribes on military practices, as ruling houses and part of the history of China. A lot of what he covered was familiar to me from the course I took last September, many of the points he raised were discussed by Pat Ebrey in her lectures and I wouldn't be surprised if she had drawn a lot of her material from this book. (Not that she needs any help understanding the history of China mind you).

I did find that some of the descriptions of the battles a bit tedious. I think perhaps I should have waited till after finishing reading The Three Kingdoms before reading this as it was a bit too much. But when he wasn't discussing specific events but instead looking at how the military was selected over time, how these practices changed and the social impact of these practices I did find it really interesting. His analysis of warfare during the Tang was particularly interesting. He looked at how the role of a professional army had encouraged warlords and rebellion from within, and how later practices were able to combat this. The impact of the An Lushan rebellion was very interesting, not just on the later Tang which he looked at in great detail, but also on the later dynasties. The only thing I felt was missing from the Tang discussion was the role of the military on the coups that happened within the royal household itself, thinking of Princess Taiping and Empress Wu. Alas it seems no one ever writes enough about Empress Wu at least for my tastes.

It was an interesting book though I think of it more as a good reference source than a page turner. I suppose I am just much more interested in the religious and social side of history. However I think it's important to understand the importance of military history and the impact it has. So I am glad to have read this book as it seems to be the best, well only, book available on the subject.

[Eadweard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book on what is usually called 'medieval China'. The author walks us through centuries of warfare and disunity, finally culminating with the unification of China by the short lived Sui dynasty, and again afterwards by the Tang.

He explains how the empire was thrown into chaos by the internal strife in the Jin court which allowed barbarians from the north to conquer and establish regimes in most of north China for centuries. He also goes into detail about the changes in the armies and how they battled each other, he describes the new and effective system of the farmer-soldier established in Northern Zhou and later adopted by the Sui and Tang armies. As the book ends, we again see China thrown into disorder in the latter years of the Tang, once again the empire would fracture for around half a century, it later being unified by the Song, but that's another book. Overall, very enjoyable and informative read.

[Erik Champenois · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book specifically to cover in the political history of the Southern and Northern dynasties period that was treated all to concisely in the thematically organized Harvard History of Imperial China series. While focused on military history, Graff's coverage is also an excellent overview of the political and dynastic history of China in this period.

Starting with the fall of Western Jin (the dynasty that Cao Cao inaugurated) and ending with the Tang, the book does a great job covering both internal and external warfare. Internally, warfare between the multiple northern and southern dynasties, the reunification of China under the Sui and then the Tang, and the revolts of regional military leaders under the late Tang. Externally, warfare with the Xiongnu, the Turks, the Koguryo, the Tibetans, and at one point even a battle with the Abbasids in Central Asia.

The book ends with the Tang dissolving into multiple kingdoms in the "Ten Kingdoms" and "Five Dynasties" period, showing once again that the nature of Chinese history involves fragmentation as much as imperial unification.

[Daniel Levy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had a lot of useful knowledge, was reading it for research on the Sui-Goygorio wars which is a tragically underwritten event in history. It's a military defeat so unbelievable I knew I had the right book when Graff opened with "Stated in the bluntest terms, China appeared to be a perennial loser with little to teach the winners when it came to the military arts"

[JT · Rating 5 out of 5]

The period Graff covers is quite long indeed. Chapter 1 begins with an explanation of more ancient Chinese modes of warfare, but the main narrative really begins with Chapter 2's "The Fall of Western Jin." The end of Western Jin ushered in a new epoch of instability and tumult in China. In this period, "barbarian" rulers primarily of Xianbei, Xiongnu, Di, Qiang and Jie ethnicity set up dynasties in the North. In the South, the shaky Eastern Jin dynasty held onto power for roughly a century before giving way to four other ethnically Han Chinese states: Liu-Song, Southern Qi, Southern Liang and Chen. Graff's book goes into detail on all of these states, their institutional framework and their military foundations.

After long periods of division, Northern China was unified by the Northern Wei dynasty. Graff notes this as a turning point in history because the balance of power in Medieval China was shifted from the South to the North. The Northern Wei ruler Xiaowendi implemented several significant policies that affected later dynasties to come, such as the administrative equal field system. Northern Wei eventually disintegrated into Western Wei/Zhou and Eastern Wei/Qi. Zhou was the victor in the war between the two, but then a coup by Yang Jian overthrew the Zhou and set up the Sui dynasty. The Sui dynasty was to reunify China, collapse and then be shortly thereafter followed by the successful Tang dynasty. The Tang brought peace and prosperity to China and extended Chinese hegemony into Central Asia.

I like this book a lot. Chinese history has always fascinated me and is probably my personal focus when it comes to history as a whole. Graff's book is well-sourced and does a great job at explaining this lengthy period of "Medieval Chinese Military History" from multiple perspectives. Graff points out key improvements to military technology and changes in conscription methods that occurred over time. He also discusses strategies, specific battles, generals, statesmen and key policymakers. Logistics and other related fields are also given due attention by Graff. I find it hard not to recommend this for those interested in the subject matter. It successfully illustrates every sweeping change in Chinese military history that occurred from the War of the Eight Princes to the An Lushan Rebellion.

[K.V. Johansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this to be a very thorough, well-written history of the subject.