Chinese
Archers & GunpowderTeam Bonus
Farms +10% food
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"The Chinese are an archer and gunpowder civilization with extra starting villagers, cheaper technologies, and powerful Town Centers with extra line of sight and population."
Civilization Bonuses
- 1
Start with +3 Villagers, but -50 wood and -200 food
- 2
Technologies cost -5/10/15% in Feudal/Castle/Imperial Age
- 3
Town Centers +7 line of sight and provide +15 population space
- 4
Fire Lancers and Fire Ships move +5/10% faster in Castle/Imperial Age
Unique Units
Unique Technologies
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Other Civilizations
AoE Coach analysis
Context & meta
The Chinese are an Archers and Gunpowder civilization defined by economic scale and technological reach. They start with +3 Villagers (offset by -50 wood and -200 food), research technologies for -5/10/15% cost across Feudal, Castle and Imperial Age, and field Town Centers with +7 line of sight and +15 population space. Their team bonus boosts Farm food by +10%. The signature Chu Ko Nu fires a rapid burst of arrows, while the Dragon Ship covers water. Unique techs Great Wall and Rocketry reinforce defense and gunpowder. With a strong eco and flexible tech, the Chinese excel on closed maps like Arena and reward macro-focused play, though their awkward start demands a clean opening.
History & balance
The Chinese have long stood as one of the genre's most demanding yet rewarding civilizations, prized by players who value economy and adaptability over a single decisive spike. Their identity rests on starting ahead in villagers while paying for it in early resources, a trade that asks for precise build orders few civilizations require. Over the years they have been perceived as a high-skill pick: punishing to mishandle in the opening, dominant once their cheaper technologies and larger population compound into a late-game advantage. The Chu Ko Nu has remained their iconic unique unit, emblematic of a civilization that wins through volume of fire and overwhelming production rather than raw individual power.
In pro play
Strong players treat the Chinese as a macro powerhouse, leaning on the +3 villager start to reach Castle Age with a fuller economy than most. On open maps like Arabia, pros often open with a quick Feudal archer push, exploiting cheaper Feudal technologies to out-upgrade opponents before transitioning to Crossbows or Chu Ko Nu out of Castles. On Arena and other closed maps, the Chinese shine through Fast Castle into a boom, where extra Town Center population space and discounted research let them out-tech and out-produce. The civilization shows its flexibility in the late game, swinging from archer aggression to gunpowder and siege in the late game as their cost-reduced tech tree pays dividends.
How to counter it
The Chinese are most vulnerable in the opening, before their economy compounds. Apply early pressure with Scouts or your own Feudal aggression to punish their resource-light start and disrupt their tight build order. Their Chu Ko Nu, while devastating in numbers, is fragile to mass Skirmishers, Mangonels and Onagers that exploit clustered archer formations, so prioritize area damage. Since the Chinese lean on archers and gunpowder rather than heavy cavalry, civilizations with strong Skirmisher and siege answers fare well. Deny their boom on closed maps by raiding economy or trading; the longer the game runs, the more their cheaper technologies and population edge tilt the balance, so close out before their macro advantage snowballs into the late game.