Li or Shih: The Chinese military strategic culture and Chinese use of force during the Cold War

China has one of the longest histories in the world. The distinctive Chinese culture not only influences the general behavior of the Chinese people, but also the Chinese pattern for the use of force. In explaining and predicting the unique pattern of modern Chinese use of force, China's strategic behavior can best be explained by its strategic cultural heritage.; From about the time of Sun Tzu, Chinese strategists adopted and developed two important concepts for the war among the states: Shih and Tao. Shih is defined as a dynamic state of power that is determined by the combination of the material assets and the people who employ them. Tao means the right way that ruler should follow and that causes the people in accord with the ruler.; From the perspective of the Shih strategists, the factor of ruler or general was so important that all military arts were developed with a focus on how to deceive their enemy's ruler or generals and how to support their own ruler or generals in achieving unity with the people, which is Tao.; The military application of the Shih theory is the strategy based on enemy intent, which is in contrast to the strategy based on enemy forces. The former seeks to win a war by attacking enemy intent or the enemy plan, whereas the latter seeks to win a war by destroying enemy forces.; China has used force against its neighboring countries at least twelve times since the foundation of the People's Republic of China in 1949. Many modern observers outside of China have found anomalies in the Chinese motivations for use of force, the characteristics of operational behaviors, and the ways of war termination.; This thesis analyzes four major wars fought by China in the middle to latter 20th century: The Chinese Civil War in 1940s, The Korean War, The Sino-Indian War in 1962, and The Sino-Vietnam War in 1979 and explains how Chinese Shih theory influences China's approach to modern warfare and the roots of the idiosyncrasies of the modern Chinese use of force.