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xv Acknowledgments Many people and institutes have contributed to this book and deserve recognition. First, I would like to thank Provost William J. Radke, Vice Provost Patricia A. LaGrow, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts Pamela Washington, Interim Dean of the Jackson College of Graduate Studies and Research John M. Garic, Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs Daniel P. Donaldson, and Chair of the Department of History and Geography Kenny L. Brown at the University of Central Oklahoma. They have been very supportive of the project over the past several years. The faculty merit-credit program sponsored by the Office of Academic Affairs, on-campus mini grant sponsored by the Jackson College of Graduate Studies and Research, and Liberal Arts College research grant at UCO provided funding for my research and student assistants. I wish to thank my Chinese colleagues and collaborators at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, China Society for Strategy and Management Research, China Foundation for International and Strategic Studies, National Defense University, Peking University, and provisional academies of social sciences in Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Heilongjiang , Hubei, Jiangsu, Jilin, Liaoning, and Zhejiang. They made the many arrangements necessary for interviewing People’s Liberation Army officers and retired generals in 1996–2004. I am grateful to Chen Zhiya, Li Danhui, Niu Jun, Shen Zhihua, Wang Baocun, Wang Fan, Yang Shaojun, Zhang Baijia, Zhang Pengfei, and Zhang Tiejiang for their help and advice on my research in China. Thanks also to the staff of the Mainland Affairs Council and the China Reunification Alliance in Taipei, Taiwan. They provided financial assistance and arranged many interviews during my trips to Taiwan in 1994–2002. Special thanks to Stanley J. Adamiak and Kenny L. Brown, who proofread and critically reviewed most of the chapters. Chen Jian, Zhang Shuguang, and David Finkelstein read the entire manuscript and provided valuable comments and suggestions. You Ji, David Kaiser , Lyman Miller, Allan R. Millett, Charles Neimeyer, Richard Peters, Anthony Saich, Donald Sutton, Bin Yu, and Xiaoming Zhang made important comments on earlier versions of some chapters as conference papers. John Osburn reproduced all of the photos for the book. Candace Carollo provided secretarial assistance. Several graduate students at UCO contributed to the book, sometimes by reading parts of the manuscript and sometimes by working on the maps or bibliography . They are Lynn Brown, Wan-chun Chen, Phil High, Jason Hunter , Julie Bennett-Jones, and Hosok and Yukie O. I also wish to thank the two anonymous readers for the University Press of Kentucky, who offered many suggestions and criticisms. At the University Press of Kentucky, Stephen M. Wrinn, executive director, and his staff patiently guided the production of the book. Any remaining errors of fact, language usage, and interpretation are my own. During the research period over the past decade, my parents encouraged my interests in Chinese military affairs and helped me collect source materials in China. I dedicate this book to them. My wife, Tran, and our two children, Kevin and Christina, got used to my working weekends and holidays and shared with me the burden of overseas traveling. Their understanding and love have made this book possible. xvi  Acknowledgments ...

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