Chinese Siege Warfare: Mechanical Artillery & Siege Weapons of Antiquity

For millennia, Chinese armies dominated their rivals by having superior weaponry on their side. So successful was this dominance in arms that the early rapid growth and expansion of the Chinese sphere of influence and control, was halted only by physical geographical barriers such as the mountain ranges of the Tibetan Plateau, the deserts and grass steppes of the northwest and the Pacific Ocean to the east. Since the early years of Chinese civilisation, warfare has been an integral part and parcel of life. Much of this was fought in the mountain passes, the fortified towns of the open plains, the river gorges, the open steppes, the vast deserts, the long convoluted coastline, and in the varied and rugged geography of the Chinese heartland. The rise and development of Chinese siege technology was but one facet of Chinese warfare, but one no less important in the continuous struggle for the Chinese to survive as a people and as a political entity. The drive to innovate and to gain the upper hand over rivals, both within the country as well as outside the country, pushed military Engineers to dazzling heights of inventive excellence. Reaching a peak in the late Song dynasty, decline began when the devastation of the Mongol invasion and the Ming and Qing dynasties' inability to compete in the new gunpowder arms race with the new threat from the West proved the undoing for a proud Chinese tradition in siege warfare, much of which remains sadly unknown and unacknowledged to this day.

This book traces the development of Chinese siege technology from 8th century B.C. to the end of the Qing dynasty and makes comparisons with siege weapons of several other civilisations. Bringing together the development history of catapults from the Islamic world, the ancient Greco-Roman catapults, the mysterious catapults of India, the simple catapults of pre-Columbus America, the catapults of medieval Europe, and East Asian catapults, a comprehensive picture emerges within this book on the progression of catapult technology, showing how each civilisation contributed and interacted in a fascinating global exchange of ideas.

"Drawing on many primary and secondary sources and lavishly illustrated, this book provides an excellent introduction to the art of siege warfare in early China. Especially valuable are Liang's clear and accurate explanations of the often highly technical specifications of the individual machines, their method of deployment, and advantages and disadvantages; the comparisons he makes with western siege machinery; and his scale reconstructions of individual engines. I strongly recommend this work."
- Robin D.S. Yates, James McGill Professor of History and East Asian Studies, co-author, Science and Civilisation in China vol. 5 part 6 Military Technology

"After carefully perusing Liang's Chinese Siege Warfare I find myself in complete agreement with the high praise accorded the work by Prof. Robin Yates and Duncan Head. The explanations are masterful and the traditional woodblock illustrations well produced. Even more valuable are Liang's explications of uncertain points and his remarkable models that allow the reader to grasp the nature of the mechanism in an instant. Clearly the product of many years of painstaking research and profound understanding, it not only makes a substantial contribution to the history of siege technology in general but also unfolds the essence and accomplishments of the Chinese tradition in detail. "
- Ralph D. Sawyer, author of "Fire and Water: The Art of Incendiary and Aquatic Warfare in China, Westview Press, 2004"

"For those interested in technical warfare, Chinese Siege Warfare: Mechanical Artillery & Siege Weapons of Antiquity offers an amazing synopsis of the various devices developed by China for the past 3000 years, from repeating crossbows to the giant catapults of the Tang and Song dynasties and cannon of the Ming dynasty."
- Ingenieur general de l'armement Jean Laporte (French Armament Corps)