Chinese Walled Cities 221 BC- AD 1644

It has been said in China that a city without a wall would be as inconceivable as a house without a roof. Even the smallest village invariably had some form of defensive wall, while the Great Wall of China was an attempt to build a barrier along the most vulnerable border of the entire country. Yet the finest examples of walled communities were China''s walled cities, whose defensive architecture surpassed anything along the Great Wall. This book traces the evolution of the walled city from the 3,000 year old remains of the beaten earth walls of the Shang dynasty to the huge stone fortifications of the Ming dynasty. Stephen Turnbull, expert military historian, reveals the defensive structures from all the major ancient Chinese cities, and discusses how they protected entire communities, and not just castle dwellers, with colour artwork reconstructions, maps and archive photographs.

About the author

Stephen Turnbull is widely recognised as the world's leading English language authority on the samurai of Japan. He took his first degree at Cambridge and has two MAs (in Theology and Military History) and a PhD from Leeds University. He is now retired and pursues an active literary career, having now published 85 books. His expertise has helped with numerous projects including films, television and the award-winning strategy game Shogun Total War.

Summary

It has been said in China that a city without a wall would be as inconceivable as a house without a roof. This book traces the evolution of the walled city from the 3,000 year old remains of the beaten earth walls of the Shang dynasty to the huge stone fortifications of the Ming dynasty.

Product details

• Authors: Stephen Turnbull, Turnbull Stephen
• Assisted by: Steve Noon (Illustration), Noon Steve (Illustration)
• Publisher: Osprey Publishers
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 10.05.2009
• EAN: 9781846033810
• ISBN: 978-1-84603-381-0
• No. of pages: 64
• Dimensions: 180 mm x 244 mm x 8 mm
• Series: Fortress; Fortress
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > Antiquity; Non-fiction book > History > Miscellaneous; China, Architecture, HISTORY / Ancient / General, military history, HISTORY / Military / Ancient, Warfare & defence, HISTORY / Europe / Medieval, Military institutions, Architecture: castles and fortifications