List of wars and battles involving China

The following is a list of wars and battles involving China, organized by date.

Ancient China

Imperial China

Qin dynasty (221–206 BCE)

Han dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE)

Chu-Han Contention (206–202 BCE)

Western Han (206 BCE – 9 CE)

Xin dynasty (9–23 CE) and early Eastern Han (25–36 CE)

Eastern Han – middle period (36–184)

End of the Han dynasty (184–220)

Three Kingdoms period (220–280)

Jin dynasty (265–420), the Southern Dynasties (420–587), the Sixteen Kingdoms (304–439) and the Northern Dynasties (386–581)

Sui dynasty (581–618)

Tang dynasty (618–907)

Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period (907–960)

Song dynasty (960–1279)

Liao dynasty (907–1125)

Jurchen Jin dynasty (1115–1234)

Yuan dynasty (1271–1368)

Ming dynasty (1368–1644)

Qing dynasty (1644–1912)

Modern China

Yuan Shikai-led Republic of China

• Bai Lang Rebellion (1911–1913)
• Second Chinese Revolution (1913)
• World War I (1914–1918)
• National Protection War (1915–1916)

Warlord Era

• Manchu Restoration (1917)
• Kuomintang pacification of Qinghai (1917–1949)
• Battle of Xiahe (1929)
• Occupation of Mongolia (1919–1921)
• Zhili–Anhui War (1920)
• Guangdong–Guangxi War (1920–1922)
• Spirit Soldier rebellions (1920–1926)
• Mongolian Revolution (1921)
• First Zhili–Fengtian War (1922)
• Jiangsu–Zhejiang War (1924)
• Second Zhili–Fengtian War (1924)
• Anti-Fengtian War (1925)
• Yunnan–Guangxi War (1925–1927)
• Northern Expedition (1926–1928)
• April 12 Incident (1927)
• Muslim conflict in Gansu (1927–1930)
• Red Spears' uprising in Shandong (1928–1929)
• Warlord Rebellion in northeastern Shandong
• Central Plains War (1929–1930)
• Chiang-Gui War (1929)
• Han–Liu War (1932)
• Two-Liu war (1934)
• War in Ningxia (1934)

Chinese Civil War (First phase, 1927–1936)

• 1927 — Shanghai massacre
• 1927 — Nanchang Uprising
• 1927 — Autumn Harvest Uprising
• 1927 — Guangzhou Uprising
• 1930–31 — First Encirclement Campaign
• 1931 — Second Encirclement Campaign
• 1931 — Third Encirclement Campaign
• 1932 — Fourth Encirclement Campaign
• 1933–34 — Fifth Encirclement Campaign
• 1933–34 — Fujian Rebellion
• 1934–1936 — Long March
• 1935 — Battles at Luding Bridge

Sino-Soviet conflict (1929)

Sino-Tibetan War (1930–1932)

• Qinghai–Tibet War (1932)

Xinjiang Wars (First phase, 1931–1937)

• Kumul Rebellion (1931–1934)
• Kirghiz rebellion (1932)
• Battle of Aksu (1933)
• Kizil massacre (1933)
• Battle of Sekes Tash (1933)
• Battle of Kashgar (1933)
• Battle of Ürümqi (1933)
• Battle of Toksun (1933)
• First Battle of Ürümqi (1933)
• Second Battle of Ürümqi (1933–1934)
• Battle of Kitai (1934)
• Battle of Kashgar (1934)
• Battle of Yangi Hissar (1934)
• Battle of Yarkand (1934)
• Battle of Khotan
• Battle of Tutung (1934)
• Battle of Dawan Cheng (1934)
• Soviet invasion of Xinjiang (1934)
• Charkhlik revolt (1935)
• Islamic rebellion in Xinjiang (1937)

Second Sino-Japanese War (1931–1945, part of World War II from 1941)

• 1931 — Mukden Incident
• 1931–32 — Japanese invasion of Manchuria
• 1931 — Jiangqiao Campaign
• 1931 — Battle for Nenjiang Bridge
• 1931–1942 — Pacification of Manchukuo
• 1931–1932 — Jinzhou Operation
• 1932 — Battle of Harbin
• 1932 — First Battle of Shanghai
• 1932 — Attack on Pingdingshan
• 1932 — Attack on Fushun
• 1933 — Battle of the Great Wall
• 1933 — Battle of Rehe
• 1933–1936 — Southern Mongolian campaign (1933–36)
• 1936 — Suiyuan Campaign
• 1937 — Battle of Pochonbo
• 1937 — Lugou Bridge Incident
• 1937 — Battle of Beiping–Tianjin
• 1937–1945 — Aerial engagements of the Second Sino-Japanese War
• 1937 — Operation Chahar
• 1937 — Second Battle of Shanghai
• 1937 — Battle of Jianqiao
• 1937 — Peiking–Suiyuan Railway Operation
• 1937 — Beiping–Hankou Railway Operation
• 1937 — Tianjin–Pukou Railway Operation
• 1937 — Battle of Taiyuan
• 1937 — Battle of Pingxingguan
• 1937 — Battle of Sihang Warehouse
• 1937 — Battle of Xinkou
• 1937 — Battle of Nanking
• 1938 — Battle of Taierzhuang
• 1938 — Battle of Xuzhou
• 1938 — Battle of Northern and Eastern Henan
• 1938 — Battle of Lanfeng
• 1938 — Amoy Operation
• 1938 — Taihoku Air Strike
• 1938 — Bombing of Chongqing
• 1938 — Battle of Wuhan
• 1938 — Battle of Xinfeng
• 1938 — Battle of Wanjialing
• 1938 — Canton Operation
• 1939 — Hainan Island Operation
• 1939 — Battle of Nanchang
• 1939 — Battle of Suixian–Zaoyang
• 1939 — Swatow Operation
• 1939 — First Battle of Changsha
• 1939–1940 — Battle of South Guangxi
• 1939–1940 — Battle of Kunlun Pass
• 1940 — Battle of West Suiyuan
• 1940 — Battle of Wuyuan
• 1940 — Battle of Zaoyang–Yichang
• 1940 — Hundred Regiments Offensive
• 1940 — Central Hubei Operation
• 1941 — New Fourth Army incident
• 1941 — Western Hubei Operation
• 1941 — Battle of South Henan
• 1941 — Battle of Shanggao
• 1941 — Battle of South Shanxi
• 1941 — Second Battle of Changsha
• 1941 — December 1941 Chinese Nationalist guerrilla warfare
• 1941 — Battle of Hong Kong
• 1941 — Bombing of Singapore
• 1941–1942 — Third Battle of Changsha
• 1942–1945 — South-East Asian theatre of World War II
• 1942 — 1942 Bombing of Vietnam
• 1942 — Malayan campaign
• 1942 — Battle of Singapore
• 1942–1945 — Anti-Japanese resistance movement in Malaya during World War II
• 1942–1945 — Anti-Japanese resistance movements in the Dutch East Indies during World War II
• 1942 — Battle of Sarimbun Beach
• 1942 — Battle of Kranji
• 1942 — Battle of Bukit Timah
• 1942–1945 — Burma campaign (1942–1945)
• 1942 — Japanese invasion of Burma
• 1942 — Battle of the Yunnan–Burma Road
• 1942 — Battle of Tachiao
• 1942 — Battle of Oktwin
• 1942 — Battle of Toungoo
• 1942 — The Hump
• 1942 — Battle of Yenangyaung
• 1942 — Combined Japanese-Thai invasion of the Shan States
• 1942 — Thai invasion of the Kayah State
• 1942 — Burma campaign (1942–1943)
• 1942 — Zhejiang-Jiangxi campaign
• 1942–1945 — Philippine resistance against Japan
• 1942 — Battle of the Dwarf Mountain
• 1943 — Thai invasion of Yunnan
• 1943 — Operation North of the Yangtze
• 1943 — Battle of Guangzhouwan
• 1943 — Battle of West Hubei
• 1943 — Weinan Campaign
• 1943 — Linnan Campaign
• 1943–1945 — Battle of Northern Burma and Western Yunnan
• 1943 — Battle of Changde
• 1943 — 1943 Bombing of Vietnam
• 1943 — 1943 Bombing of Taiwan
• 1944–1945 — Bombing of South-East Asia (1944–1945)
• 1944 — Burma campaign (1944)
• 1944 — Battle of Yupang
• 1944 — Battle of the Hukawng Valley
• 1944 — Battle of Maingkwan
• 1944 — Battle of Waluban
• 1944 — Operation Ichi-Go
• 1944 — Battle of Central Henan
• 1944 — Battle of Mogaung
• 1944 — Siege of Myitkyina
• 1944 — Battle of Tengchong
• 1944 — Fourth Battle of Changsha
• 1944 — Battle of Mount Song
• 1944 — Battle of Longling
• 1944 — Battle of Hengyang
• 1944 — Battle of Guilin–Liuzhou
• 1944–1945 — Burma campaign (1944–1945)
• 1944 — Battle of Mangshi
• 1944 — Battle of Mongyu
• 1944 — Battle of Wanding
• 1944 — Battle of Lashio
• 1944 — Battle of Hsipaw
• 1945 — Battle of West Henan–North Hubei
• 1945 — Battle of West Hunan
• 1945 — 1945 Guangxi campaign

Xinjiang Wars (Second phase, 1944–1949)

• 1944–1949 — Ili Rebellion
• 1946–1948 — Battle of Baitag Bogd
• 1949 — Incorporation of Xinjiang into the People's Republic of China

Chinese Civil War (Second phase, 1945–1949)

Conflicts in the Chinese Civil War in the post-World War II era are listed chronologically by the starting dates.

1945

• July 21 – August 8, 1945 — Yetaishan Campaign
• August 13–19, 1945 — Southern Jiangsu Campaign
• August 13–16, 1945 — Counteroffensive in Eastern Hubei
• August 15–23, 1945 — Battle of Baoying
• August 16–19, 1945 — Battle of Yongjiazhen
• August 17–27, 1945 — Battle of Tianmen
• August 17–25, 1945 — Pingyu Campaign
• August 17 – September 11, 1945 — Linyi Campaign
• August 24, 1945 — Battle of Wuhe
• August 26–27, 1945 — Battle of Yinji
• August 26 – September 22, 1945 — Huaiyin–Huai'an Campaign
• August 29 – September 1, 1945 — Xinghua Campaign
• September 1–13, 1945 — Battle of Dazhongji
• September 4–5, 1945 — Battle of Lingbi
• September 5–8, 1945 — Zhucheng Campaign
• September 5–22, 1945 — Shanghe Campaign
• September 6–9, 1945 — Battle of Lishi
• September 7–10, 1945 — Pingdu Campaign
• September 8–12, 1945 — Taixing Campaign
• September 10 – October 12, 1945 — Shangdang Campaign
• September 13–17, 1945 — Wudi Campaign
• September 18, 1945 — Battle of Xiangshuikou
• September 21, 1945 — Battle of Rugao
• September 29 – November 2, 1945 — Weixian–Guangling–Nuanquan Campaign
• October, 1945 – October, 1945 — Battle of Shicun
• October 3 – November 10, 1945 — Yancheng Campaign
• October 17 – December 14, 1945 — Tongbai Campaign
• October 18, 1945 — Battle of Houmajia
• October 22 – November 2, 1945 — Handan Campaign
• October 25 – November 16, 1945 — Battle of Shanhai Pass
• October 26–30, 1945 — Campaign Along the Datong–Puzhou Railway
• November, 1945 – April, 1947 — Campaign to Suppress Bandits in Northeast China
• November 3–4, 1945 — Battle of Jiehezhen
• December 19–21, 1945 — Battle of Shaobo
• December 19–26, 1945 — Gaoyou–Shaobo Campaign
• December 21–30, 1945 — Battle of Tangtou–Guocun

1946

• January 19–26, 1946 — Houma Campaign
• March 15–17, 1946 — Battle of Siping
• April 10–15, 1946 — Jinjiatun Campaign
• April 17 – May 19, 1946 — Campaign to Defend Siping
• June 22 – August 31, 1946 — Campaign of the North China Plain Pocket
• June 12 – September 1, 1946 — Campaign along the Southern Section of Datong–Puzhou Railway
• July 31 – September 16, 1946 — Datong–Jining Campaign
• August 10–22, 1946 — Longhai Campaign
• August 14 – September 1, 1946 — Datong–Puzhou Campaign
• August 21 – September 22, 1946 — Battle of Huaiyin–Huai'an
• August 25 – August, 1946 — Battle of Rugao–Huangqiao
• September 2–8, 1946 — Dingtao Campaign
• September 22–24, 1946 — Linfen–Fushan Campaign
• October 10–20, 1946 — Battle of Kalgan
• November 10–11, 1946 — Battle of Nanluo–Beiluo
• November 22, 1946 – January 1, 1947 — Lüliang Campaign
• December 17, 1946 – April 1, 1947 — Linjiang Campaign
• December 31, 1946 – January 30, 1947 — Battle of Guanzhong
• Pei-ta-shan Incident

1947

• January 21–28, 1947 — Campaign to the South of Baoding
• April 24–25, 1947 — Battle of Niangziguan
• April 27–28, 1947 — Battle of Tang'erli
• May 13–16, 1947 — Menglianggu Campaign
• May 13 – July 1, 1947 — Summer Offensive of 1947 in Northeast China
• May 28–31, 1947 — Heshui Campaign
• June 11, 1947 – March 13, 1948 — Siping Campaign
• June 26 – July 6, 1947 — Campaign to the North of Baoding
• July 17–29, 1947 — Nanma–Linqu Campaign
• August 13, 1947 – August 18, 1947 — Meridian Ridge Campaign
• September 2–12, 1947 — Campaign to the North of Daqing River
• September 14 – November 5, 1947 — Autumn Offensive of 1947 in Northeast China
• October 2–10, 1947 — Sahe Mountain Campaign
• October 29 – November 25, 1947 — Campaign in the Eastern Foothills of the Funiu Mountains
• December 15, 1947 – March 15, 1948 — Winter Offensive of 1947 in Northeast China
• December 7–9, 1947 — Battle of Phoenix Peak
• December 9, 1947 – June 15, 1948 — Western Tai'an Campaign
• December 11, 1947 – January, 1948 — Counter-Eradication Campaign in Dabieshan
• December 20, 1947 – June 1948 — Jingshan–Zhongxiang Campaign

1948

• January 2–7, 1948 — Gongzhutun Campaign
• March 7 – May 18, 1948 — Linfen Campaign
• March 11–21, 1948 — Zhoucun–Zhangdian Campaign
• May 12 – June 25, 1948 — Hebei–Rehe–Chahar Campaign
• May 23 – October 19, 1948 — Siege of Changchun
• May 29 – July 18, 1948 — Yanzhou Campaign
• June 17–19, 1948 — Battle of Shangcai
• September 12 – November 12, 1948 — Liaoshen Campaign
• October 5, 1948 – April 24, 1949 — Taiyuan Campaign
• October 7–15, 1948 — Battle of Jinzhou
• October 10–15, 1948 — Battle of Tashan
• November 6, 1948 – January 10, 1949 — Huaihai Campaign
• November 15, 1948 – January 11, 1949 — Battle of Jiulianshan
• November 22 – December 15, 1948 — Shuangduiji Campaign
• November 29, 1948 – January 31, 1949 — Pingjin Campaign
• Pei-ta-shan Incident

1949

• January 3–15, 1949 — Tianjin Campaign
• April, 1949 – June, 1950 — Campaign to Suppress Bandits in Northern China
• April, 1949 – June, 1953 — Campaign to Suppress Bandits in Central and Southern China
• May 12 – June 2, 1949 — Shanghai Campaign
• May 17 – June 16, 1949 — Xianyang Campaign
• August 9–27, 1949 — Lanzhou Campaign
• August 9, 1949 – December, 1953 — Campaign to Suppress Bandits in Eastern China
• August 24, 1949 – September, 1951 — Campaign to Suppress Bandits in Fujian
• September 5–24, 1949 — Ningxia Campaign
• September 5, 1949 – March, 1950 — Campaign to Suppress Bandits in Dabieshan
• October 25–27, 1949 — Battle of Guningtou
• November, 1949 – July, 1953 — Campaign to Suppress Bandits in Northwestern China
• November 1–28, 1949 — Campaign to the North of Nanchuan County
• November 3–5, 1949 — Battle of Dengbu Island
• November 17 – December 1, 1949 — Bobai Campaign
• December 3–26, 1949 — Campaign to Suppress Bandits in Lianyang
• December 6–7, 1949 — Battle of Liangjiashui
• December 7–14, 1949 — Battle of Lianyang
• December 11–27, 1949 — Chengdu campaign
• December 17–18, 1949 — Battle of Jianmenguan

1950

• January, 1950 – June, 1955 — Campaign to Suppress Bandits in Wuping
• January 15, 1950 – May 1951 — Campaign to Suppress Bandits in Guangxi
• January 19–31, 1950 — Battle of Bamianshan
• February – December 1953 — Campaign to Suppress Bandits in Southwestern China
• February 4 – December, 1950 — Campaign to Suppress Bandits in Longquan
• February 14–20, 1950 — Battle of Tianquan
• March 3, 1950 — Battle of Nan'ao Island
• March 5 – May 1, 1950 — Landing Operation on Hainan Island
• March 29 – May 7, 1950 — Battle of Yiwu
• May 11, 1950 — Battle of Dongshan Island
• May 25 – August 7, 1950 — Wanshan Archipelago Campaign
• August 9, 1950 — Battle of Nanpéng Island
• September, 1950 – January, 1951 — Campaign to Suppress Bandits in Northern Guangdong
• September 2 – November 29, 1950 — Campaign to Suppress Bandits in northeastern Guizhou
• October 15 – November, 1950 — Campaign to Suppress Bandits in the Border Region of Hunan–Hubei–Sichuan
• October 15 – December, 1950 — Campaign to Suppress Bandits in Western Hunan
• December 13, 1950 – February, 1951 — Campaign to Suppress Bandits in Shiwandashan
• December 20, 1950 – February, 1951 — Campaign to Suppress Bandits in Liuwandashan

1951

• January 8 – February, 1951 — Campaign to Suppress Bandits in Yaoshan
• April 15 – September, 1951, — Campaign to Suppress Bandits in Western Guangxi

1952

• April 11–15, 1952 — Battle of Nanri Island
• June 13 – September 20, 1952 — Campaign to Suppress Bandits in Heishui
• September 20 – October 20, 1952 — Battle of Nanpēng Archipelago

1953

• May 29, 1953 — Battle of Dalushan Islands
• July 16–18, 1953 — Dongshan Island Campaign

1955

• January 18–20, 1955 — Battle of Yijiangshan Islands
• January 19 – February 26, 1955 — Battle of Dachen Archipelago

1950–1958

• Kuomintang Islamic insurgency

1960

• November 14, 1960 – February 9, 1961 — Campaign at the China-Burma Border

1965

• May 1 1965 — Battle of Dong-Yin
• August 6, 1965 — Battle of Dongshan
• November 13 - 14, 1965 — Battle of East Chongwu

Annexation of Tibet (1950)

• Battle of Chamdo (1950)
• Lhasa Uprising (1959)

Korean War (1950–1953)

• 1950 – Battle of Onjong

• 1950 – Battle of Unsan
• 1950 – Battle of the Ch'ongch'on River
• 1950 – Battle of Chosin Reservoir
• 1951 – Third Battle of Seoul
• 1951 – Battle of Hoengsong
• 1951 – Battle of Chipyong-ni
• 1951 – Battle of the Imjin River
• 1951 – Battle of Kapyong
• 1952 – Battle of Old Baldy
• 1952 – Battle of White Horse
• 1952 – Battle of Triangle Hill
• 1953 – Battle of Pork Chop Hill
• 1953 – Battle of the Hook
• 1953 – Battle of Kumsong

Sino-Indian War (1962)

The Sino-Indian War between China and India occurred in October–November 1962. A disputed Himalayan border was the main cause of the war. There had been a series of violent border skirmishes between the two countries after the 1959 Tibetan uprising, when India granted asylum to the Dalai Lama. India initiated a defensive Forward Policy from 1960 to hinder Chinese military patrols and logistics, in which it placed outposts along the border, including several north of the McMahon Line, the eastern portion of the Line of Actual Control proclaimed by Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai in 1959.

Nathu La and Cho La clashes (1967)

The Nathu La and Cho La clashes took place from September–October of 1967. The Nathu La clashes started on 11 September 1967, when China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) launched an attack on Indian posts at Nathu La, and lasted till 15 September 1967. In October 1967, another military duel took place at Cho La and ended on the same day. According to independent sources, India achieved "decisive tactical advantage" and managed to hold its own against and push back Chinese forces. Many PLA fortifications at Nathu La were destroyed, where the Indian troops drove back the attacking Chinese forces. Another battle took place at Cho La a few kilometers south a few days later. The military duel lasted one day, during which the Chinese were driven away, which boosted Indian morale. According to Indian Maj. Gen. Sheru Thapliyal, the Chinese were forced to withdraw nearly three kilometers in Cho La during the clash. The Defence Ministry of India reported: 88 killed and 163 wounded on the Indian side, while 340 killed and 450 wounded on the Chinese side, during the two incidents.

Sino-Soviet border conflict (1969)

• 1969 – Zhenbao Island

Vietnam War (1955–1975)

• 1974 – Paracel Islands

Laotian Civil War (1958–1975)

• 1967 – 1967 Opium War

Sino-Vietnamese War (1979)

• 1979 – Battle of Cao Ba Lanh
• 1979 – Battle of Móng Cái
• 1979 – 1979 Battle of Đồng Đăng
• 1979 – Battle of Lao Cai
• 1979 – Battle of Cam Duong
• 1979 – 1979 Battle of Cao Bằng
• 1979 – 1979 Battle of Lạng SÆ¡n

Sino-Vietnamese conflicts (1979–1991)

• 1981 – Battle of Fakashan
• 1984 – Battle of Laoshan
• 1986 – Operation Blue Sword-B
• 1988 – Johnson South Reef Skirmish

Sumdorong Chu standoff (1986–1987)

Mali War (2012–present)

2013 Depsang standoff

2017 China–India border standoff

2020–2021 China–India skirmishes

2022 Yangtse clash

See also

• Outline of the military history of the People's Republic of China
• Outline of the Chinese Civil War
• List of wars involving the People's Republic of China
• List of wars involving the Republic of China
• List of wars involving Taiwan

Notes

Further reading

• Graff, David Andrew, and Robin Higham, eds. A military history of China (University Press of Kentucky, 2012).
• Li, Xiaobing, ed. China at War: An Encyclopedia. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2012. online
• Liu, Frederick Fu. A Military History of Modern China, 1924–1949 (1972).
• Mitter, Rana. "Old ghosts, new memories: China's changing war history in the era of post-Mao politics." Journal of Contemporary History 38.1 (2003): 117–131.
• Ryan, Mark A., David Michael Finkelstein, and Michael A. McDevitt. Chinese Warfighting: the PLA experience since 1949 (ME Sharpe, 2003).
• Swope, Kenneth, ed. Warfare in China since 1600 (Routledge, 2017).
• Worthing, Peter M. A military historyof modern China: from the manchu conquest to Tian'anmen Square (Praeger, 2007).
• Wortzel, Larry M., and Robin Higham. Dictionary of contemporary Chinese military history (Abc-clio, 1999).

External links

• Power Polarity In The Far Eastern World System, 1025 BC-AD 1850: Narrative And 25-Year Interval Data by David Wilkinson