- A look at the changing roles of the Chinese
militia system from its inception to the present
By Andy Bunk
Imagine a force of millions of Chinese civilians armed with assault rifles, guided
missiles, artillery, and the ability to possibly use it, all directed by the Chinese Communist government. Such a force exists in China today in the form of the Chinese
militia. Yet there is very little information on such a large well-armed force. For the last
two decades the militia has fallen off the radar in both the Western media and in scholarly
works. In the past two decades, few if any articles have been published on the militia and
fewer still scholarly works have been written about this subject. As a result, the Chinese
militia has become a relatively unknown organization. One might think that this lack of
attention simply shows that the militia has become unimportant and or has no where near
the influence it once did. But such a conclusion would be a major mistake. Throughout Chinese history, from ancient times to modern Communist rule, the militia has played a
number of roles in both Chinese society and its defense strategy that have helped shape
the China we know today while at other times the militia has appeared dormant. But the
militia has always remained a resource available for use by the Chinese government in
times of need. This paper argues that although the Chinese militia in some ways seems to
have faded into the background again, it would be a mistake to conclude that the militia
has become irrelevant.
The goal of this paper is to provide an in depth look into one of China’s most
mysterious organizations and to explain what roles it plays in Chinese society and its
defense policy today. The paper first looks at the history of the Chinese Communist The goal of this paper is to provide an in depth look into one of China’s most
mysterious organizations and to explain what roles it plays in Chinese society and its
defense policy today. The paper first looks at the history of the Chinese Communist militia to provide the reader with a thorough understanding of what roles the militia was
originally created to play and how these roles changed in different periods. This provides
a basis for understanding the range of functions that could be potentially performed by
the Chinese militia. The second part of the paper, then, tries to explain the militia’s
organization today and the roles it plays in its modern form. The lack of media articles or
scholarly works focusing on the current situation of the militia in China, makes it difficult
to provide as a clear picture of the militia as one might want. But references to militia in
passing in the Chinese media reveals some of the roles it continues to perform and why it
can not simply be ignored.
This abstract is taken from the above paper written by Andy Bunk. The views expressed in this paper are the Author’s own.
About the author: The author is a recent graduate of George Washington University. He graduated with a double major in Asian Studies (with Special Honours) and Economics (with Honours).
Imagine a force of millions of Chinese civilians armed with assault rifles, guided
missiles, artillery, and the ability to possibly use it, all directed by the Chinese Communist government. Such a force exists in China today in the form of the Chinese
militia. Yet there is very little information on such a large well-armed force. For the last
two decades the militia has fallen off the radar in both the Western media and in scholarly
works. In the past two decades, few if any articles have been published on the militia and
fewer still scholarly works have been written about this subject. As a result, the Chinese
militia has become a relatively unknown organization. One might think that this lack of
attention simply shows that the militia has become unimportant and or has no where near
the influence it once did. But such a conclusion would be a major mistake. Throughout Chinese history, from ancient times to modern Communist rule, the militia has played a
number of roles in both Chinese society and its defense strategy that have helped shape
the China we know today while at other times the militia has appeared dormant. But the
militia has always remained a resource available for use by the Chinese government in
times of need. This paper argues that although the Chinese militia in some ways seems to
have faded into the background again, it would be a mistake to conclude that the militia
has become irrelevant.