China
The Soldier in Late Imperial and Republican China
For much of the nineteenth century, Chinese soldiers were not held in very high esteem. The standing armies of the late Qing were in considerable disrepair: Bannermen had become demoralized, poorly trained, and equipped with broken or antiquated weaponry; the Green Standard forces were slovenly, ill disciplined, and incompetent. In fact, the Banners became useless and troublesome parasites. This sorry…
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Type 052B or Guangzhou Class Destroyer
The Type 052B or Guangzhou class destroyer (NATO reporting name: Luyang I class) is a class of multirole missile destroyer built by the People’s Republic of China. Two ships have been built, with Guangzhou (168) and Wuhan (169) both being commissioned into the PLAN in July 2004. This class features…
Fall of Nanjing I
The Taiping forces’ victory over the Qing army in capturing Nanjing is depicted here. The Taiping soldiers, were relentless in training and became fierce fighters. Harvard Yenching Library. The Qing army recaptured Nanjing in 1864. After Issachar Roberts left him in the winter of 1862, Hong Rengan had little contact…
Fall of Nanjing II
Zeng Guoquan had a dream. He dreamed that he was climbing up a high mountain peak, all the way to the summit. When he got to the top, however, he couldn’t find any path to continue forward, so he turned around. But when he did, he saw that there was…
The End of the Taiping Rebellion
An 1884 painting of The Battle of Anqing (1861) Detail from The Suppression of the Taiping Rebellion, ink on silk. The extent of Taiping control in 1854 (in red) When Zeng Guofan arrived to take control of Nanjing in July 1864, for the dynasty it was an occasion not just…
Shenzhen (DDG-167) Type 051BÂ destroyer
Santa Rita, Guam (Oct. 22, 2003) — The People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) guided missile destroyer Shenzhen (DDG-167) enters Apra Harbor, Guam. The Shenzhen and the oiler Quinghai Hu (AO-885) are making the People’s Republic of China’s first ever port call to Guam. TYPE 051B LUHAI-CLASS: Consists of only one…
Great Wall of China
The Great Wall of China (Chinese: Wanli Changcheng; “10,000-Li Long Wall”) consists of a series of defensive structures built across northern China. One of the largest building-construction projects ever carried out, it runs (with all its branches) about 4,500 miles (7,300 km) east to west. Large parts of the fortifi…