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Chinese Military History (A quick summary)
Me ^ | 2/14/2004 | Me

Posted on 02/14/2003 10:18:14 PM PST by NP-INCOMPLETE

The following is a general listing of wars fought by China in the last 22 hundred years. I will compile a list for Russia and Britain soon. I think I'll leave France alone for now.

200 BC War of Unification-won Chinese beat themselves

100 BC War against the Hakka-won Slaughtered the natives of central china

50 BC War against the Min, Miao, Tocharian-won took over southern China

50 AD War against Central Asian Tribes, Sassinid Dynasty in Persia Won, took over most of central Asia

65 AD War against Korea-won took over Korean Peninsula

70 AD War against Vietnam-won took over Vietnam

75 AD War against the Huns-won, took over inner mongolia, drove the Huns out of East Asia and into Western Europe

210 AD Three Kindoms, Han Dynasty collapsed, civil war for the next 500 years-stalemate for most of the time.

700 AD Sui Dynasty established, new Emporer launches invasion of Japan-stalemate leaning towards defeat

800 AD Tang Dynasty resumes war to the south and west-won reconquored Vietnam, took Laos and colonized Hainan. Wiped out persia to the west(Persia was being attacked by the Arabs at the same time)

950 AD Sino-Arab war- lost at the battle of Talas gunpowder and magnetic compass technology taken by the Arabs.

970 AD Tang Government Collapses Song Dynasty emerges just as Ganghis Kahn attacks-Lost, all of Northern China taken over including Beijing.

1050 Sino-Tibetan war-lost, chinese troops can't stand the high altitude

1100 AD Mongol Conquest-Lost Song Dynasty was destroyed by Kublai Kahn ~40 million Chinese killed.

1250 AD First Sino-Japanese war-lost 3 separate naval invasions failed due to Kamikazees

1300 AD Moonlight Rebellion-won Mongols driven out, China regains original territories.

1500 AD First Sino-Japanese war-won, Japanese fleet destroyed in Korea.

1570 AD Manchu-war-Lost country taken over by Manchu's, the invaders where subsequently assimilated into Chinese culture.

1640 AD Sino-Dutch war-won Dutch colonists driven out of Taiwan by Chinese colonists.

1720 AD Sino-Mongolian War-won destroyed the home Kahnate of the Mongols, takes over outer mongolia

1740 AD Invasion of Siberia-won destroyed last holdouts of the Mongol golden horde.

1780 AD Sino-Urghar war-won Took over East Turkistan

1842 AD First Opium War-Lost Chinese military no match for British firepower, Britain takes Hong Kong from China

1853 AD Taiping Rebellion-won against themselves(barely) 20 million chinese dead and the most productive part of the country was ruined.

1864 AD Second Opium War-Lost same reason as the first, Britain takes over portions of Shangai and 10 other coastal cities.

1872 AD Sino-French War-Lost one of the few victories of the french, Fance takes Vietnam from China

1887 AD Sino-Russian War-Lost Russia took most of Siberia , established puppet state in Mongolia, and sets up sphere of influence in Manchuria

1896 AD Sino-Japanese War-Lost Japan crushed China's fleet and took over Korea.

1900 AD Boxer Rebellion-Lost , Japan takes Taiwan, Britain, France, Belgium, Spain divides Shanghai and the eastern coast, Germany takes Dalian, Russia takes portions of Manchuria.

1938 AD World War II-Won(Barely) 15 million dead Chinese vs 2 million dead Japanese but defeats Japan's army in Mainland East Asia, and regains Eastern coast, Manchuria, Hainan, and Taiwan.

1946 AD Chinese Civil war-won(but might as well be a loss), 5 million Chinese dead, communists drives Nationalists to Taiwan.

1950 AD Korean War-Stalemate 500 thousand Chinese dead and a de-populated Korea as a result of the war.

1951 AD Invasion of Tibet-Won Tibetan military was no match for the PLA(1 million Tibetans brutally murdered, but hey, china got some high quality Uranium ore out of it)

1962 AD Sino-Indian War- Won Chinese troops outnumbered the indians 3 to 1, takes over Askin Chin plateau, and parts of Kashmir

1981 AD Sino-Vietnamese War-Stalemate(on the way to a loss) Bad logistics, crappy weapons, low morale, and a battle-hardened enemy made the war untenable.

That is it folks, a list of wars that China has fought in its long history


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; Government; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: china; militaryhistory

1 posted on 02/14/2003 10:18:14 PM PST by NP-INCOMPLETE
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To: NP-INCOMPLETE
A lot of date errors and mistakes.
2 posted on 02/14/2003 11:12:54 PM PST by tallhappy
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To: tallhappy
I know, I was in a hurry, this is in response to a private mail earlier. And the dates are only approximate, happening within that century.
3 posted on 02/14/2003 11:15:16 PM PST by NP-INCOMPLETE
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To: tallhappy
But in terms of outcomes, I think it is basically correct.
4 posted on 02/14/2003 11:16:07 PM PST by NP-INCOMPLETE
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To: tallhappy
Do you know where they post this stuff? I'm getting the wars from an old East Asian history book.
5 posted on 02/14/2003 11:16:49 PM PST by NP-INCOMPLETE
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To: NP-INCOMPLETE
There are a number of chinese history sites.

Sino-Japanese war was 1895 and Taiwan was given to Japan in the same year (and Japan took over).

Civil war ended in 1949. Vietnam war was 1979.

6 posted on 02/14/2003 11:29:08 PM PST by tallhappy
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To: tallhappy
I'm fairly sure that the Vietnam war was in 81, and it didn't really end until 88.
7 posted on 02/14/2003 11:30:53 PM PST by NP-INCOMPLETE
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To: tallhappy
And the civil war began right after the japanese surrender in 45, I didn't make a mistake there.
8 posted on 02/14/2003 11:31:42 PM PST by NP-INCOMPLETE
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To: NP-INCOMPLETE
On that note, I think a stalemate is incorrect, it should be a victory. A crappy offensive followed by a ten year long war of attrition and in the end Vietnam lost that entire stretch of border territory.
9 posted on 02/14/2003 11:33:36 PM PST by NP-INCOMPLETE
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To: NP-INCOMPLETE
BFL
10 posted on 02/14/2003 11:41:08 PM PST by HighRoadToChina (Never Again!)
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To: NP-INCOMPLETE
I'm fairly sure that the Vietnam war was in 81, and it didn't really end until 88.

No. Not even close.

Civil War ended in 1949. It began in the 20's.

11 posted on 02/14/2003 11:57:28 PM PST by tallhappy
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To: tallhappy
The civil war resumed in 1945, and ended in 49 how's that. I simply assumed that the limited actions by the communists who were still a very small rebel group in the 20s didn't amount to civil war. And the war with Vietnam didn't end until 1988. There were countless border skirmishes for a decade after the initial offensive.
12 posted on 02/15/2003 12:04:10 AM PST by NP-INCOMPLETE
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To: NP-INCOMPLETE
Great list. Note how the Chinese have historically been very good on horseback but really don't do too well when it comes to boats.

Europe had better wake up, because the Chinese will go West over land, not East over sea, when they decide to expand again.The Pacific is their back door not the front door.

Regards,

13 posted on 02/15/2003 4:14:40 AM PST by Jimmy Valentine (DemocRATS - when they speak, they lie; when they are silent, they are stealing the American Dream)
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To: NP-INCOMPLETE
Notice the change on the time line between wars starting in the 1700's.

hhmmmmmmmmmm, it's about that time again.

Side question,

Forgive me but my history is pitiful. Acording to the Shino-Arab war of 950 ad humans have had guns for around 1,000 years. Unless "gunpowder technologies" means something diferent else. If that is true then would I be right in assuming that the the Chinese where the first to develop guns?

14 posted on 02/15/2003 7:19:33 AM PST by broadsword
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To: broadsword
Not guns, but rockets and early cannons. The cannons basically consisted of a spear attached to an iron turret and used to punch through the armor worn by heavy calvary.
15 posted on 02/15/2003 12:56:40 PM PST by NP-INCOMPLETE
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To: NP-INCOMPLETE
1842 AD First Opium War-Lost Chinese military no match for British firepower, Britain takes Hong Kong from China

1864 AD Second Opium War-Lost same reason as the first, Britain takes over portions of Shangai and 10 other coastal cities.

1872 AD Sino-French War-Lost one of the few victories of the french, Fance takes Vietnam from China

1887 AD Sino-Russian War-Lost Russia took most of Siberia , established puppet state in Mongolia, and sets up sphere of influence in Manchuria

1896 AD Sino-Japanese War-Lost Japan crushed China's fleet and took over Korea.

1900 AD Boxer Rebellion-Lost , Japan takes Taiwan, Britain, France, Belgium, Spain divides Shanghai and the eastern coast, Germany takes Dalian, Russia takes portions of Manchuria.

1938 AD World War II-Won(Barely) 15 million dead Chinese vs 2 million dead Japanese but defeats Japan's army in Mainland East Asia, and regains Eastern coast, Manchuria, Hainan, and Taiwan.

And they wonder why China's wants to modernize its military.

If you had been beaten silly and tallhappy as the Chinese have in their history, you would do the same.

16 posted on 02/15/2003 1:11:20 PM PST by BJungNan
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To: NP-INCOMPLETE
The civil war resumed in 1945, and ended in 49 how's that?

That's just fine. No need to be that precise. The date of 1949 is the year the Chinese celebrate as the end of that period.

17 posted on 02/15/2003 1:13:48 PM PST by BJungNan
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To: BJungNan
Those wars were from a long time ago though.
18 posted on 02/15/2003 1:16:55 PM PST by NP-INCOMPLETE
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To: NP-INCOMPLETE
Those wars were from a long time ago though.

Hundreds of thousands being masacured in Nanjing was not that long ago. It is a memory in the minds of those still alive today.

19 posted on 02/15/2003 9:53:08 PM PST by BJungNan
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To: BJungNan
fair enough
20 posted on 02/15/2003 10:13:30 PM PST by NP-INCOMPLETE
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