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The CULTURE of the CHINESE PEOPLE's LIBERATION ARMY

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The CULTURE of the CHINESE PEOPLE's LIBERATION ARMY The FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Marine Corps Intelligence Activity CULTURE 2033 Barnett Avenue Quantico, Virginia 22134-5011 COM: (703) 784-6167; DSN: 278-6167 Please direct feedback to: [email protected] of the The CHINESE CULTURE of the CHINESE PEOPLE’S PEOPLE’S LIBERATION PEOPLE’S LIBERATION LIBERATION ARMY ARMY FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Cover photo credits (left to right, top to bottom): 1. PLA Air Force soldiers shout slogans during a welcoming ceremony for Laos' Prime Minister Bouphavanh in Beijing, 2007. Reuters: Jason Lee 2. PLA Marine competes in an obstacle course in Zhanjiang, 2006. United States Marine Corps 3. PLA recruits stand still as they balance books on their heads during training session at military base in Hefei, 2008. Reuters: Jianan Yu 4. PLA Marines in Zhanjiang, 2006. United States Marine Corps 5. PLA Marine Honor Guard, Zhanjiang, 2006. Lt. Col. Marcus Annibale, USMC 6. Chinese and American Marines participate in a rifle competition in Zhanjiang, 2006. United States Marine Corps 7. Chinese and American Marines compete in an obstacle course in Zhanjiang, 2006. United States Marine Corps 8. Officers from the PLA Navy, ground forces, and Air Force salute in the latest upgrade uniform, Beijing, 2007. Reuters/China Daily 9. PLA Marine competes in an obstacle course in Zhanjiang, 2006. United States Marine Corps 10. PLA Marines in Zhanjiang, 2006. United States Marine Corps 11. Soldiers carry an injured woman after rescuing her from the ruins of a collapsed building in Miaoxian, Sichuan Province, 2008. Reuters/China Daily 12. PLA Marine competes in an obstacle course in Zhanjiang, 2006. United States Marine Corps 13. PLA Marine competes in an obstacle course in Zhanjiang, 2006. United States Marine Corps 14. Soldiers carry an injured woman after rescuing her from the ruins of a collapsed building in Miaoxian, Sichuan Province, 2008. Reuters/China Daily 15. Commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, ADM Timothy Keating, meets Chinese Air Force Lt. General Liu Chengjun in Beijing, 2008. Reuters: Andy Wong 16. Tanks from motorized division of the PLA drive into the "war zone" during a military exercise in Henan Province, 2006. Reuters/China Daily Although unclassified, the use of this publication is restricted to authorized U.S. and coalition military and government personnel. Further dissemination of the information contained in this 17. PLA Marine Honor Guard, Zhanjiang, 2006. Lt. Col. Marcus Annibale, USMC document, to include excerpts and graphics, is strictly prohibited. Local reproduction of material is authorized for U.S. and coalition military and government use. 18. Chinese troops march in Tiananmen Square, 1997. Reuters: Will Burgess 19. Zhang Mengyun, 82, bids farewell to PLA Air Force personnel in quake-hit Pengzhou, 2008. Printed: 2009 Reuters/China Daily FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY The Culture of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Table of Contents LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES ........................................................................................ v ACRONYMS ..................................................................................................................... vi EXECUTIVE SUMMARY................................................................................................... vii Background.................................................................................................................................vii Key Findings...............................................................................................................................viii Origins of PLA Culture ...........................................................................................................viii The PLA’s Emphasis on Morality ..............................................................................................ix PLA Values ..............................................................................................................................xi PLA Views on Officer-Enlisted Relations.................................................................................xii PLA Organizing Principles .....................................................................................................xiii Decision-Making in the PLA ..................................................................................................xiv Authority and Influence ..........................................................................................................xv Challenges to PLA Culture .....................................................................................................xvi Interacting with the PLA........................................................................................................xvii INTRODUCTION..............................................................................................................1 Why does military culture matter? ........................................................................................... 1 What is “PLA military culture”?................................................................................................ 1 Military culture in transition..................................................................................................... 2 Purpose of the study................................................................................................................. 2 Research approach .................................................................................................................. 3 Organization............................................................................................................................ 3 CHAPTER 1 : ORIGINS OF PLA CULTURE........................................................................5 Introduction: Where does PLA culture come from? .................................................................... 5 Ancient sources ........................................................................................................................... 5 Confucianism........................................................................................................................... 6 Martial classics ........................................................................................................................ 8 Literary classics...................................................................................................................... 12 Marxism-Leninism-Mao Zedong Thought .................................................................................. 14 Phase One: Soviet indoctrination and the First United Front ................................................. 14 Phase Two: Breaking with the KMT and forming the Red Army ............................................. 17 Phase Three: Modifying Marxist-Leninist principles to fit Chinese circumstances................... 17 The PLA’s selective interpretation of China’s modern history ................................................... 20 1839–1921: Foreign intrusion and internal disorder .............................................................. 21 1921–1949: The rise of the CCP and the Red Army ............................................................... 23 1949–1979: “New China,” post-liberation wars, and the Cultural Revolution ....................... 24 Lessons the PLA takes from its history ....................................................................................... 25 Western nations are by nature aggressive, forcing China to wage defensive wars. ................. 25 The PLA must strive to protect both China’s external sovereignty and domestic stability. ...... 27 The CCP and the Red Army “saved” China from foreign aggressors and domestic tyrants...... 28 The victories of the Red Army and the PLA derive from their loyalty to the Party................... 29 The greatest victories of the Red Army and the PLA have been achieved against larger ,more technologically advanced adversaries ............................................................................... 29 The PLA has won every war that it has fought........................................................................ 30 i FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY CHAPTER 2 : PLA VALUES ..............................................................................................31 Introduction: The “human factor”............................................................................................. 31 How the PLA developed the “human factor” ............................................................................ 31 Soldiers’ poor traditional image ............................................................................................. 32 A new kind of Chinese army.................................................................................................. 33 Moral and disciplinary codes................................................................................................. 35 Moral standards for today’s PLA............................................................................................. 36 The PLA’s core values ................................................................................................................ 37 Loyalty................................................................................................................................... 37 Honor and heroism...............................................................................................................
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