Reviews

"Mao's Military Romanticism breaks both new conceptual and new empirical ground in analyzing China's decision to enter the war and its subsequent struggle to hold its own against the world's most powerful nation. This book should stand for some time as the standard comprehensive treatment of China in the Korean War."--William Stueck, author of The Korean War: An International History"A splendid book with valuable observations about the contrasting ways in which Chinese and American forces fought. Zhang is an excellent storyteller, as well as a skilled interpreter of historical data."--Akira Iriye, author of Power and Culture: The Japanese-American War, 1941-1945"This book provides the best account yet of how Mao fought his war with the Americans and their allies. It also offers provocative insights into Mao's thinking about strategy, tactics, and the human costs of warfare. Highly recommended."--John Lewis Gaddis, author of The Long Peace: Inquiries into the History of the Cold War"Zhang's conceptual framework, 'military romanticism, ' provides a new and useful angle for understanding Mao's decision-making. This is a great contribution to the history of the Korean War and to China studies."--Litai Xue, coauthor of Uncertain Partners: Stalin, Mao, and the Korean War"Offers fresh insights on Communist China's role in the Korean conflict."--D. Clayton James, coauthor of Refighting the Last War: Command and Crisis in Korea

"An important addition to the body of literature on the Korean War."--Journal of Military History"[The book's] greatest strength is its detailed and comprehensive coverage of China's military activities which allows readers to draw their own conclusions."--H-Net Reviews"This is the most comprehensive account of Chinese policy towards the Korean war to have appeared."--War in History"This extraordinary study is a significant contribution to Korean War literature."--American Historical Review"An important addition to the Korean War literature."--Choice