If you are interested in understanding the foundation of the Chinese strategic culture, we recommended Dr. Ralph D. Sawyer latest book, Ancient Chinese Warfare. It will be published on March 2011.
Notes from Sawyer's web site
Our Ancient Chinese Warfare, the first of two projected volumes on the history of Chinese warfare from antiquity through the rise of the Han, is nearing completion. Covering the evolution and practice of warfare in China from the Neolithic through the end of the Spring and Autumn period, it is necessarily based upon archaeological evidence and oracle and bronze inscriptions. However, some experiments with reconstructed chariots and weapons and a re-examination of the traditional historical accounts found in the Tso Chuan for the last three centuries has caused us to significantly revise the usual understanding and depiction of this much idealized period.
The second volume will be devoted to the Warring States, a period that saw warfare escalate dramatically in both lethality and numbers, entailing massive devastation and horrendous casualties. Apart from depicting the key conflicts, the book will outline the key developments in military technology and battlefield practices; examine the evolution of tactical doctrine; chart the appearance of military writings; and discuss the martial factors behind Ch'in's rise.
Sidebar: Some of our associates get some of their unique "strategic" ideas from reading many of Sawyer's classics. If you are a "strategy and tactics" aficionado, we highly recommend all of his books.
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