David Cheng Chang fills a void in the literature on the Korean War with this important book describing the experiences of Chinese prisoners of war (POWs) during the conflict and assessing the impact of their incarceration and release. Although 7,109 men and one woman returned to the People's Republic of China (PRC), 14,342 prisoners rejected repatriation and went to Taiwan. Chang delivers on his pledge to answer the questions of who these POWs were, why they chose to return home or not, and whether their choice was voluntary. Significantly, he concludes that because twice as many POWs spurned the PRC in favor of Taiwan, Chiang Kai-shek's regime “became the main beneficiary of a war with no clear winners” (p. 7). Chang insightfully defines Korea as two wars, with the first from June 1950 to late 1951 and thereafter a conflict over prisoners that extended the fighting fifteen more months. The...

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