Armed conflict has always played an important role in Chinese history. Most of China's imperial dynasties were established as a result of success in battle, and the same may be said of the Guomindang (KMT) and Communist regimes in the 20th century. This volume offers a basic introduction to the military history of China from the second millennium B.C.E. to the present, and is intended to be accessible to non-specialists. The book’s sixteen chapters, organized along both thematic and chronological lines, deal with such topics as “Continuity and Change,” “Military Writings,” “Warlordism in Early Republican China,” “The Sino-Japanese War,” and “Recent Developments in Chinese Military.” A Military History of China focuses on recurring issues, problems, and patterns of conflict rather than traditional campaign narratives, and each chapter includes suggestions for further reading.