China's strategic culture myths

Great Wall myth: China is defensive & peace loving

anti-thesis of Western tradition

used as a propaganda mechanism

drew from Confucius and Sunzi bingfa

Incorrect because

There were several conquests and annexations in the
Sinic Zone

several expansions against non-Chinese

Commerce as an arm of state power led to adventures in Korea, Vietnam, Turkestan (controlling trade routes)

Great Wall itself was as much for defining and holding conquered territory as it was for defending borders

inability to control or expand territory hinted at decline of power

Sunzi myth: acme of skill is to win without fighting

often taken as a proof of Chinese strategic culture of peace

Incorrect because

made during Warring States period when War was extremely costly

instrumental strategy on Clausewitzian lines that war is politics by other means

Mao, considered as as archetypical Sunzi follower, took support of force

Good Iron myth: preeminence of civil over the martial

Used to convey why China fell to colonialists

Good men are not used for soldiers, good iron is not used for nails

Incorrect because:

it conveys that China recognised bureaucracy early, not that it disdained force

Balance of wudao and wendao exemplified in the PLA and Chinese CCP

Zheng He myth: no history of overseas colonialism or gunboat diplomacy

Incorrect because

Ming dynasty
did many naval conquests

Zheng He's flotilla served the function of advertising Ming glories rather than with the aim of colonising because China was already a big power by then.

Myth of Shi: core concept of strategic advantage

Use your strategic advantage against your likely opponent

Used to imply that China has a totally different view of war, compared to the West

hence the west doesn't understand why China does certain things

Incorrect because

Hardly different from Western thought

In Sunzi, it just means five factors of dao, weather, terrain, command and doctrine

Author instead proposes that these are the key features of China's strategic culture.

Territory matters

Size Matters

Strategy Matters

Near Seas Matter

Culture Matters -- need to pin adversary as a polar opposite.

Internal issues subsumed Ming rulers and they abandoned naval conquest as the preferred means for exerting influence

Force used against Chen Zuyi in Palembang (first voyage), King of Ceylon (third voyage)